Fresh setback for NorthMet copper mine
The proposed NorthMet copper and nickel project in Minnesota, in the US, has encountered another obstacle in its development journey. The Minnesota Supreme Court last week rejected a key wastewater permit for the project, adding to the challenges faced in developing the mine.
The court’s ruling highlighted concerns over the potential threat to water quality posed by the mine. According to the court ruling, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) failed to adequately assess the mine’s impact on water quality and did not thoroughly consider compliance with the Clean Water Act.
Furthermore, it was noted that the MPCA did not genuinely engage in reasoned decision-making in dealing with concerns that were raised by the Environmental Protection Agency.
This setback comes in the wake of the US Army Corps of Engineers earlier also revoking a key federal wetlands permit required for the mine’s operation. The decision was owing to concerns that the project could lead to downstream pollution on the reservation of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
NewRange Copper Nickel, which is owned by Glencore and Teck Resources, is aiming to build what would be the state’s first mine for copper, nickel and precious metals. The company’s proposal involves constructing an openpit mine and transporting the ore to an old taconite facility for further processing.
Over its first full five years of operations, NorthMet is expected to deliver yearly payable production of 30 000 t of copper, 3 600 t of nickel, 58 000 oz of palladium, and 12 000 oz of platinum.
Comments
Research Reports
Projects
Showroom
Booyco Electronics, South African pioneer of Proximity Detection Systems, offers safety solutions for underground and surface mining, quarrying,...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Multotec, recognised industry leaders in metallurgy and process engineering help mining houses across the world process minerals more efficiently,...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
