St. Paul, Minn. (Dec. 22, 2017) – Jobs for Minnesotans today released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Interior’s decision to reverse opinion denying mineral leases held by Twin Metals Minnesota.

“Jobs for Minnesota welcomes the opinion announced today by the Solicitor’s Office of the U.S. Department of the Interior reversing an opinion from March 2016 that paved the way for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service denial in December 2016 of two mineral lease renewals sought by Twin Metals Minnesota. The new opinion reopens the process for reviewing the renewal applications and is thus a positive step for advocates of fair process for economic development and job creation in Northern Minnesota.

“The decision does not touch on a second action by the two federal agencies last December, which was to start a process for withdrawing approximately 235,000 acres of federal land and minerals in Northern Minnesota from future leasing, exploration and development activities. Lifting the arbitrary, devastating mineral withdrawal proposal is a critical next step needed in order to return to the established process for the public to evaluate mining projects on their merits.”

About Jobs for Minnesotans
Jobs for Minnesotans, a coalition representing business, labor and communities, supports statewide opportunities for prosperity and middle-class jobs from sustainable natural resource development in Minnesota. The organization is committed to the principle that our state can preserve both job opportunities and the environment for future generations. Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council representing 55,000 workers and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce representing 2,300 companies and 500,000 employees. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow @JobsforMN on Twitter and find the coalition on Facebook.com/Jobs4MN.

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Media Contact: Nancy Norr, Chair
nnorr@mnpower.com
Cell: 218.590.6978