ADVERTISEMENTThat replaces its previous controversial plan to expand the existing LTV tailings basin and store the waste rock there. The company now holds 21 of the 24 needed permits, Marsh said, but still needs a federal wetland permit, the state’s permit to mine and a state water permit before mining can begin. ADVERTISEMENTA federal permitting dashboard for the NorthMet project shows the Section 404 permit review is planned to take 18 months. Timelines for state and federal environmental reviews differ, state law has different requirements on public participation, and the U.S. Supreme Court has also since limited the scope of federal environmental reviews. "And so I think it's pretty unlikely that we'd be in a joint state-federal (environmental impact statement) situation here."