Army Corps rules in favor of Band on Polymet plan

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has revoked a key permit for the proposed NorthMet copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota, formerly known as the PolyMet project.

The Army Corps rescinded the permit, known as the Clean Water Act “Section 404” wetlands permit, because the agency said the it could not “ensure compliance with the applicable downstream water quality requirements” of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, whose reservation lies downstream from the proposed mine on the St. Louis River.

The decision does not deal a fatal blow to the project. NewRange Copper Nickel, a n...