Minnesota Supreme Court rules against disputed mine, says state pollution officials hid EPA warnings

The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that the state's Pollution Control Agency was wrong to issue permits for a long-contested copper-nickel mine. The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled 6-0 against the state agency. Justices say regulators ignored environmental warnings about a project previously called PolyMet. The northeastern mining project now is NewRange Copper Nickel. Environmental groups sued when the state issued permits for the mine. Court discoveries and public-record requests found that the federal Environmental Protection Agency had major concerns about the project. But the state convinced federal regulators to hide concerns from the public, fearing backlash.