The U.S. government is joining a Canadian mining company in its appeal of a federal court's ruling that overturned government approvals for a copper mine in Arizona.

Three Native American tribes sued in 2018 after Hudbay Minerals Inc. received government approval for the Rosemont mine, saying the operation would be developed on ancestral homelands. The U.S. District Court in Arizona sided with the tribes, and the company, as well as the federal government, are now appealing the ruling, the Arizona Daily Star reported Dec. 30.

The U.S. Justice Department filed a formal notice of appeal with the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the newspaper said.

Hudbay Minerals outlined plans in March to begin construction at the mine by the end of 2019 with production ramping up by the end of 2022.