PolyMet Mining Corp. said Oct. 1 that the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis dismissed all lawsuits challenging a land swap agreement between the U.S. Forest Service and the company's Poly Met Mining, Inc. unit covering the NorthMet copper project.
In January 2017, the U.S. Forest Service agreed to transfer 6,650 acres of federal land, which are critical to mining the deposit, to PolyMet in exchange for transferring about 6,900 acres of privately held land.
Environmental groups then filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block the deal, arguing that it violates federal law. Still, the land swap, included as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, was passed by U.S. lawmakers.
According to PolyMet, the court ruled that the lawsuits lacked standing to contest the swap. It also explained that the plaintiffs were not injured by PolyMet’s ownership as they did not use the properties under the deal. Three motions seeking a preliminary injunction against PolyMet’s activities on the land involved were also denied.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals recently suspended the company's two key permits for NorthMet, citing the need for an additional project review.
