Utah regulators issue permit for mine emissions

CNBC reports an expansion of one of the world’s largest open pit copper mine received an important boost Monday after Utah regulators signed off on a permit allowing increased emissions from dust.

Kennecott Utah Copper, which produces some 300,000 tonnes per year, can now begin to actively pursue almost two dozen other permits that are needed for the mine’s expansion, including approvals for the conversion of a coal-fired power plant to natural gas.

CNBC reports:

The Cornerstone Project would widen the mine by about 1,000 feet and deepen it by about 300 feet. The amount of rock mined would jump from 197 million tons to 260 million tons and would result in about a 15 percent increase in pollutants from dust.