Appeals Court: PolyMet Mine Permits To Stay On Hold For Now

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals is maintaining its suspension of two key permits for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine.

A three-judge panel said in an order Thursday that a stay the court imposed last month on the project's permit to mine and its dam safety permit should remain in place until it rules on the merits of challenges to the permits that it heard Wednesday.

Paula Maccabee, an attorney for the environmental group WaterLegacy, says there can be no construction nor any disturbance of wetlands at the mine site in northeastern Minnesota until the court rules.

The Court of Appeals typically decides cases within 90 days of hearing oral arguments.

Attorneys for the state and PolyMet argued at Wednesday's hearing that the project has met all the legal requirements.

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