Proposed NewRange copper-nickel mine in Minnesota suffers fresh setback on top of years of delays
The proposed NewRange Copper Nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota has suffered a fresh setback
MINNEAPOLIS — The proposed NewRange Copper Nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota suffered a fresh setback this week when an administrative law judge recommended that state regulators should not reissue a crucial permit for the long-delayed project.
Administrative Law Judge James LaFave said in a ruling late Tuesday that the design for the mine's waste basin won’t adequately prevent water pollution. So, he said, the Department of Natural Resources should not reissue the main “permit to mine” for the project.
The next step is up to the DNR, which can accept or reject the judge's recommendations or impose new conditions for reissuing the permit.
The proposed $1 billion mine has been delayed by a string of court rulings and administrative actions since regulators issued the original permit to mine and other necessary permits in 2018 and 2019. The Minnesota Supreme Court in 2021 ordered the DNR to gather more evidence on whether the mine’s waste basin would keep pollution contained, which led to a five-day hearing before the judge in March.
The project's proposed open-pit mine near Babbitt and processing plant near Hoyt Lakes is a a 50-50 joint venture between PolyMet Mining and Canada-based Teck Resources. The project was renamed NewRange Copper Nickel in February but is still widely known as PolyMet. It seeks to be Minnesota’s first copper-nickel mine, but it has long been stalled by court and regulatory setbacks. Swiss commodities giant Glencore in recent months upped its stake to become the sole owner of PolyMet Mining.
“It’s time for the Governor as well as Minnesota’s state agencies to take a hard look at whether it is time
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