Jobs for Minnesotans issues statement opposing executive order to pause leasing and permitting in northern Minnesota
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
St. Paul, MN: Governor Tim Walz announced today an executive order that pauses all leasing and permitting in the Rainy River watershed, a region at the center of Minnesota’s mining industry, pending the conclusion of litigation. Jobs for Minnesotans vehemently opposes the decision.
“Governor Walz’s executive order is politics at its worst. It is a thinly veiled attempt to shore up his legacy at the expense of union workers, students, and the entire Iron Range,” said Andy Campeau, Chair of the Board of Directors for Jobs for Minnesotans.
“Just four months ago, after years of proceedings, thousands of public comments, and expert testimony, his own Department of Natural Resources (DNR) concluded that Minnesota’s mine siting rules and rigorous environmental standards are adequate to protect the Boundary Waters from water pollution, impairment, and destruction. That was the DNR’s official finding, signed and released earlier this year. Now the Governor is bypassing his own agency’s science, bypassing the Legislature, and tying the future of the region to an open-ended litigation timeline that could stretch for years and with no legal authority to do any of it.”
“These are not abstract policy debates to us. These are good-paying union jobs that let our brothers and sisters buy a house, raise a family, and retire with dignity in the same community where they grew up. The Iron Range didn’t build Minnesota so a governor could shut it down with a political document issued in the final months of his administration.”
See statements and press releases from Jobs for Minnesotans membership and advisory organizations below.
- Minnesota Building & Construction Trades Council
- International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49
- Range Association of Municipalities and Schools
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About Jobs for Minnesotans
Jobs for Minnesotans, a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan coalition representing business, labor, and communities, advocates for responsible job creation and growth to improve economic opportunity across Minnesota. The organization is committed to building a state that attracts and
supports economic investment and jobs to enhance the lives of Minnesotans. Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow Jobs for Minnesotans on LinkedIn and find the coalition on facebook.com/Jobs4MN.
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