Leaked memo raises new questions about PolyMet water permit

Minnesota pollution regulators approved a water permit for the state's first copper-nickel mine over serious reservations raised by their federal counterparts, according to a leaked memo obtained by the Star Tribune.

The 29-page memo was written by Kevin Pierard, chief of the water quality permitting branch in the Chicago office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It documents EPA efforts to strengthen water protections in the permit and how those efforts were handled by the EPA and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).

http://www.startribune.com/leaked-memo-raises-new-questions-about-polymet-water-permit/512814572/