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New Mexico Supreme Court To Review 'Copper Rule'

The New Mexico Supreme Court has agreed to review an appellate court's upholding of regulations that govern groundwater pollution by copper mines.

The court decision was made public Tuesday, almost a month after Attorney General Hector Balderas and environmentalists filed a petition asking the court to weigh in.

The regulations were initially approved by state water regulators in September 2013. Opponents argued that the regulations violated the state Water Quality Control Act in addition to giving mining companies too much leeway to pollute groundwater.

The state Environment Department has argued that the regulations are among the most stringent of any copper-producing state in the West and strike a balance between protecting water and allowing for economic development.

The Court of Appeals upheld the regulations in a ruling issued in April.

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