If Canada's Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, Carolyn Bennett, accepts the review board's decision, a project certificate could be issued before year-end.
While the decision doesn’t ban Fortescue from continuing to operate the mines, it paves the way for the group to sue the company for hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation claims.
Blair Athol thermal coal mine, located in Queensland, Australia, had been closed since 2012 when former owner Rio Tinto shut down operations after almost 30 years of production.