State Supreme Court Agrees to Hear PolyMet Permit Appeal

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The Minnesota Supreme Court has agreed to hear PolyMet Mining Inc.'s appeal of a ruling that canceled three permits needed for its proposed copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota.

In January, the Minnesota Court of Appeals gave environmentalists a major victory by rejecting some of the most important permits for the planned mine.

The appeals court sent the dispute back to the Department of Natural Resources for a trial-like contested case hearing before a neutral administrative law judge on the project's environmental risks.

PolyMet pointed out that the DNR has already held a 15-year-long environmental review and permitting process that included numerous chances for the public to weigh in.