PolyMet Expects to Mine Copper by Late 2015
Duluth News Tribune
John Myers
One day after announcing plans to raise $80 million in cash, officials of PolyMet Mining Corp. on Thursday said they are moving headlong toward permitting and, eventually, construction of Minnesota’s first copper-nickel mine.
“This is a pretty big step for our project,” Jon Cherry, PolyMet president and CEO, told reporters Thursday. “We’re getting over that hump.”
On Wednesday the company announced it would receive a $20 million loan from its largest investor, Swiss commodities giant Glencore. Glencore already owns 25.6 percent of PolyMet and has options to increase that to 34 percent.
Minnesota Pro-Mining Group Testifies in D.C.
Members of a Minnesota coalition of labor union members and business owners testified in Washington today that federal regulatory efforts surrounding mining ventures need to be streamlined.
Harry Melander, president of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council and Ruthe Batulis, president of the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce and member of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, testified before the House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
The two are part of the Jobs for Minnesota coalition formed to promote Minnesota’s first-ever copper-nickel mining projects.
Washington, D.C. (March 21, 2013) – Minnesota labor and business joined forces today in Washington, D.C., urging Congress to adopt more efficient permitting processes for strategic metals mining.
Harry Melander, president of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council and Ruthe Batulis, president of the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce and member of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, testified before the House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources about Minnesota’s burgeoning strategic metals mining opportunities. Representing Jobs for Minnesotans, a coalition of labor organizations, businesses and business associations, Melander and Batulis shared insight with the subcommittee as to the breadth and scope of Minnesota’s copper, nickel, platinum, palladium and gold deposits.
“Minnesota is on the very edge of becoming one of the most significant producers of strategic metals in the world,” Melander explained to the subcommittee. “For my members, a recent University of Minnesota Duluth study shows that strategic metals projects could mean the potential for 1,300 jobs in Minnesota. A job surge of this magnitude on the Iron Range would have a significant, lasting impact on our state’s, and region’s economy.”
Batulis pointed to Minnesota’s history as not only a state steeped in a mining culture, but also one that has revolved around agriculture and the timber industry. “Minnesota is fortunate to have an abundance of natural resources,” she said.
While mining the vast minerals located in the deposit – perhaps the second largest strategic metals deposit anywhere in the world according to industry estimates – will not only create thousands of construction and permanent jobs, Batulis explained that her members are excited about the “thousands of associated and spinoff jobs created as a result.”
Batulis painted a picture of industries being created to utilize and maximize on the use of metals such as platinum, copper and nickel.
“Imagine Minnesota’s medical device manufacturing industry with the opportunity to creatively utilize strategic metals mined right here in Minnesota. That is on the horizon,” she said.
The two executives showcased how Minnesota leaders have come together – in business and government – in the pursuit of jobs. Melander pointed out that efficient permitting can be something that “policymakers of all political stripes can and should stand together to support.”
“On behalf of the 50,000 men and women I represent through the Building and Construction Trades Council, and the growing Jobs for Minnesotans Coalition I am leading with my state chamber counterpart, I’d ask that you too stand together for jobs and pass significant permitting efficiency legislation here in Washington,” Melander concluded.
The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources received testimony from various industry groups regarding permitting efficiency throughout the morning.
About Jobs for Minnesotans
Jobs for Minnesotans is a coalition of organizations committed to promoting job creation in the state of Minnesota. Co-founded by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, Jobs for Minnesotans represents the interests of Minnesota businesses, middle class workers, labor, local governments and other supporters of job creation.
Jobs for Minnesotans was created to educate and provide information about direct and spinoff job creation that the responsible development of strategic metals mining (copper, nickel, platinum, palladium, cobalt and gold) can produce for the state.
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Media Contact:
Tony Kwilas
651-292-4668
tkwilas@mnchamber.com
Unlikely Coalition Shows Mining Urgency
Duluth News Tribune
Editorial
While not exactly a team of rivals, the varied interests coming together to rally for precious metals mining in Northeastern Minnesota send an unmistakable message: This budding industry, with its potential to transform our economy and our region for the better, needs to finally be permitted and up and operating and creating jobs and having an impact that’s sure to be felt all the way to St. Paul and beyond.
Under the umbrella of a 4-month-old nonprofit coalition called Jobs for Minnesotans (jobsforminnesotans.org), people increasing the volume on the urgency for metals mining and its positive impact include labor, industry management, economic-development professionals, chamber officials and even a state senator.
“We’ve got a fantastic story to tell. It’s incumbent on us to tell it,” Jobs for Minnesotans spokesman Mike Franklin said this week in a meeting with members of the editorial board. “(Mining) is a statewide asset. We can do it without jeopardizing the environment. … Having business and labor joining together (to tell the story) is the best.”
Mining Prospects Spread Optimism in the Northland
Duluth News Tribune
Opinion: Brian Hanson and Craig Olson
As representatives of the business organization whose goal is business development in Northeastern Minnesota and of the building trades unions best situated to build that development, we are incredibly enthusiastic and optimistic about the future of the Arrowhead. This is in part because of our ability to work together, business and labor, to create a better tomorrow. But today it also is because of the projections of what is next for the Arrowhead and for Minnesota in general, as outlined recently in a University of Minnesota Duluth Labovitz School of Business and Economics study on the incredible opportunities around strategic metal mining in Minnesota.
Recently, the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at UMD released a study with astonishing numbers regarding jobs and economic development that will result as strategic metals mines are permitted in Northeastern Minnesota. The exploration and development of proposed strategic metals mines were responsible for contributing more than $210 million to Minnesota’s economy in 2010 and supported more than 500 jobs. It is projected that by 2016 strategic metals mines currently seeking permits could contribute an additional $200 million to Minnesota’s economy and support more than 1,300 direct jobs annually. Construction alone between 2012 and 2016 has the potential to contribute $1.7 billion to the economy and create more than 2,000 jobs per year.
Report: Mining Will Remain a Driving Force
Hibbing Daily Tribune
Kelly Grinsteinner
There’s no doubt that mining is a major contributor to the Iron Range.
It’s also to the state economy.
A recent report concludes that mining is poised to remain a major player and has the potential to more than double its impact in the next few years.
The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) Labovitz School of Business and Economics released the findings on the mining industry’s economic impact on the state as well as the significant opportunity for its growth earlier this month.
Mining Matters to You, Too, Twin Cities
Pioneer Press
Opinion: Chris Dahlberg
St. Louis County benefits significantly from the Iron Range’s mining industry. Thousands of manufacturing and service jobs exist based on the Range’s 100+ year taconite (ferrous mineral) mining industry. These jobs are good-paying jobs through which men and women have provided for their families. Mining matters to them. I’d like to explain how mining matters to you, wherever you live in Minnesota.
Today, precious metal (non-ferrous) mining has the potential to greatly expand on the Iron Range. Precious metal projects currently planned have the potential to contribute $2.29 billion annually and 5,600 jobs to the state’s economy. Additionally, construction associated with these projects significantly raises this economic impact. The first anticipated precious metal project, Polymet, is anticipated to created 360 permanent mining jobs and 600+ spin-off jobs. Initial capital construction for the project, $475 million, would create the equivalent construction labor force required to build the Twins Stadium.
Growing ‘Jobs for Minnesotans’ Coalition Excited About the Thousands of New Jobs and Billions in Economic Development Projected in Minnesota
St. Paul (Feb. 7, 2013) – In light of the increased jobs estimates released in a study of the Minnesota mining industry this week conducted by the University of Minnesota Duluth Labovitz School of Business and Economics, the Jobs for Minnesotans Coalition reaffirms its enthusiasm for the immense opportunity for Minnesota presented by the Strategic Metals industry.
“We’ve now learned that the construction alone of new Strategic Metals projects could mean 1,000 to 2,000 jobs per year and thousands more permanent jobs across Minnesota” said Harry Melander, Minnesota Building and Construction Trades President and President of Jobs for Minnesotans. “It is absolutely critical that regulators and policy makers understand how important these jobs are to our members and their families.”
Minnesota has the opportunity to gain thousands of jobs – potentially for hundreds of years – by safely extracting strategic minerals from one of the world’s largest known, untapped source of copper, nickel, cobalt, platinum, palladium and gold located in northeastern Minnesota’s Duluth Complex.
“Our company is excited about the economic shot in the arm that these strategic metals projects represent” said Dan Hagen, Business Segment Leader, PaR Systems. “The sales of our mill liner products are up substantially over the past few years, and we definitely see long-term growth potential here, which could translate into more employees when more of these types of businesses are up and running” Dan concluded.
“The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is committed to working with Policy Makers and stakeholders, including businesses and labor organizations, to make Minnesota a world class place to do business,” said David Olson, President of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. “The Jobs for Minnesotans Coalition is a growing statewide coalition of business, labor, educators, environmental interests and others interested in capitalizing on the tremendous economic opportunities outlined in the Labovitz School of Business and Economics recent study.”
“The billions of dollars in economic impact of the amazing number of direct jobs, and the additional 1.8 spinoff jobs that are created for every direct job, means Strategic Metals mining will be a jobs and economic development boon for every part of Minnesota,” said Matt Kramer, President of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce.
About Jobs For Minnesotans
Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in October 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. This coalition includes businesses and business associations, middle class workers, labor organizations, local governments and other supporters of job creation in the state of Minnesota.
Jobs for Minnesotans’ initial focus will be to champion the development of critical and strategic metals (copper, nickel, platinum, palladium and gold) mining in Minnesota and provide information about the direct and ancillary job creation that strategic metals mining will produce for the state, once permitted to begin operations.
In addition to providing information and resources, the coalition serves as a platform for jobs supporters to get involved and work together to promote job creation the state of Minnesota.
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Media Contact:
Tony Kwilas
651-292-4668
tkwilas@mnchamber.com
Labovitz School Report Reiterates Mining’s Huge Economic Impact
A report outlining Minnesota’s mining industry determined the combined economic impact of iron ore mining and non-ferrous minerals development was more than $3.2 billion statewide.
The report, based on findings during 2010, was developed by the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) Labovitz School of Business and Economics.
It concluded mining has the potential to more than double, supporting more than 27,000 jobs and producing $7.7 billion for the state’s economy if all projects currently under consideration move forward.
According to the report, proposed expansions to existing iron mines and new mining projects under consideration, both iron and non-ferrous, would support an additional 15,500 Minnesota workers and contribute an additional $4.5 billion to the state’s economy if all move forward. These numbers reflect annual operations only and do not include the jobs or economic impact of construction of new facilities.
A Full House of Employment Opportunities
Hibbing Daily Tribune
Tony Potter
Hundreds of avid job seekers and students huddled around potential employers in search of information that could land them the career of their dreams.
The inaugural Mining Industry Day, which is designed to allow mining industry companies to scout talent, had more than 370 attendees within the first hour Friday at Minnesota Discovery Center (MDC), according to Tammy Jensen, visitor services and sales manager for MDC.
“A nice, full house,” she said, noting she didn’t expect that good of a turnout.