Environmental groups sue to undo 2017 PolyMet mine deal in Minnesota

Polymet Mining

25/01/2022 23:23

Jan 25 (Reuters) - Environmentalists sued the U.S. Forest
Service on Tuesday in an attempt to reverse a 2017 land transfer
that gave PolyMet Mining Corp  POM.TO  more than 6,600 acres
(2,670 hectares) needed to build an open pit copper and gold
mine in northern Minnesota. 
    The suit, led by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD),
claims the project would destroy a region home to Canada lynx
and northern long-eared bat, both of which are listed as
threatened with extinction under the U.S. Endangered Species
Act.
    "These federal agencies can't just ignore threats to animals
headed for extinction," said CBD attorney Marc Fink. 
    Similar lawsuits from CBD and others failed in 2019, with
the court finding the parties lacked standing because PolyMet
had not yet obtained permits and thus there was no way to
measure if the project would cause imminent harm to the region.
    PolyMet has since acquired the land and obtained most of its
permits. The environmental groups are asking the court to now
hear their claims on the merits and order the Forest Service to
take back the land. 
    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in her
official capacity are co-defendants.  
    PolyMet, which is controlled by mining giant Glencore Plc
 GLEN.L , said it believes the land transfer will stand. "We're
confident we'll be able to address whatever issues arise,"
spokesperson Bruce Richardson said.
    Other parties joining CBD in the lawsuit include the Save
Lake Superior Association, Save Our Sky Blue Waters, Friends of
the Cloquet Valley State Forest and Duluth for Clean Water.
    The case is Center for Biological Diversity et al v. Deb
Haaland, Secretary of the Interior et al, U.S. District Court
for the District of Minnesota, No. 0:22-cv-00181. 
    The lawsuit comes the day after a state court ordered
regulators to reconsider a wastewater permit for the PolyMet
project.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2U425Z

 (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
 ((ernest.scheyder@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter: @ErnestScheyder;
+1-713-210-8512; Reuters Messaging:
ernest.scheyder.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))