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Minnesota Pollution Control Agency under scrutiny over handling of proposed PolyMet mine
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is under scrutiny over the handling of the proposed PolyMet mine in St. Louis County.
(FOX 9) - The next legal challenge for a controversial mining project in northern Minnesota is underway.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is under the microscope over its handling of a proposed copper-nickel mine in St. Louis County. In an evidentiary hearing Tuesday, officials closely examined state regulators' handling of a PolyMet permit.
Among a long list of complaints, the MPCA is accused of acting irregularly in awarding a water permit for the proposed copper-nickel mine near Babbit, Minn.
Opponents say the MPCA withheld a potentially damaging environmental report until after the public comment period was closed. It's now up to a judge to determine if the permit was properly approved.
The hearing came less than a week after an order by the Minnesota Federal Appeals Court.
The MPCA denies any wrongdoing.
PolyMet has faced a number of challenges in its quest to build the state's first copper-nickel mine, and it could be days before the hearing wraps up.