The Cottage Grove City Council, over the objections of numerous agencies and residents, signed off Wednesday night on a final environmental review related to a proposal to mine the riverbed of the Mississippi River.

The council, by a 5-0 vote, approved the final environmental impact statement adequacy done by a mining company that operates a sand and gravel mine on Lower Grey Cloud Island in Cottage Grove. The company, Amrize Nelson, wants to expand and shift operations into the Mississippi River — and mine the actual riverbed.

The council’s vote means the project proposed by Amrize, formerly known as Holcim-MCR Inc., will move on to the permitting stage, where officials from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers will make decisions about the p

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