Career Path in Mining Country: ‘I Can Do That’
Mesabi Daily News
Angie Riebe
Bryan Harp grew up in Aurora, the son of a miner.
It was never his own dream to go into mining. Yet, his career path has been tied to the industry for years.
He thoroughly enjoys his current work.
It’s work that, in fact, at one time he didn’t even know existed.
Mining and Higher Education
Hometown Focus
Jean Cole
High schools students in the region who are interested in exploring career options in mining and mining-related fields can do so through the Applied Learning Institute (ALI). ALI is a partnership between the five community colleges of the Northeast Higher Education District (NHED) and 22 northeast Minnesota high schools whose purpose is to return and expand technical education opportunities in our high schools.
It’s an opportunity for secondary students to explore a career path, and earn college credit, while still in high school. ALI has six program areas, but we’re talking mining here today, so I’m focusing on their Industrial Technology program.
Read more: http://www.hometownfocus.us/news/2015-02-20/Mining_Features/MINING_and_HIGHER_EDUCATION_003.html
PEIS Consideration Was Waste of Time
Mesabi Daily News
Editorial
The proposed Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Superior National Forest because of copper/nickel/precious metals mining projects was an incredible waste of time brought to everyone by extreme environmentalists.
While we are pleased that U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials finally put a stamp of common sense on this issue by saying there is no need for such a far-reaching environmental impact study, here’s what they should have also said to the environmentalists who sought it: “Why are you wasting our time and money to even have to consider this. It’s a frivolous request.”
The PEIS would have been a duplication of what is already being done as far as an environmental impact statement for the PolyMet project near Hoyt Lakes and what will be done for the nonferrous Twin Metals project near Ely and Babbitt.
Nolan: PEIS Won’t Be Needed
Mesabi Daily News
Bill Hanna
There will be no far-reaching Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Superior National Forest regarding potential copper/nickel/precious metals ventures.
Eighth District Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan said in a telephone interview on Friday that he has received confirmation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that a PEIS will not be necessary as requested by some environmentalists.
“It would have been a totally unnecessary layer of government, which has limited resources,” Nolan said.
Counterpoint: BWCA and Mines Can Coexist
Star Tribune
Opinion: Hoyt Lakes Mayor Mark Skelton; President and CEO of the Hibbing Area Chamber of Commerce Lory Fedo; and BWCA outfitter, former Ely mayor and longtime Ely-area resident Joe Baltich Jr.
As children of mining communities and full-time residents of Iron Range communities, we agree that the BWCA is worth fighting for. So are the good-paying permanent jobs that mining brings — jobs that support families and communities, small businesses and schools. To characterize this issue as a choice between environment and jobs is a false premise. To suggest that a sustainable economy can be supported by seasonal and minimum-wage hospitality jobs is contrary to legitimate economic research and Main Street reality.
Our region already benefits from the tens of thousands of jobs and nearly $3 billion economic impact that mining and the supporting industries add to our economy each year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual wage for a Minnesota mining job is $83,359, more than $30,000 above the all-industries average.
We have an opportunity to double the number of overall jobs and economic benefit, and to truly sustain our region and the state for generations to come. For all Minnesota school districts, for example, the state Department of Natural Resources estimates that the royalties to the permanent school trust lands fund from all of the copper-nickel projects will generate over $2 billion. Any good economist will tell you that you do not replace the pie, you grow the pie.
Read more: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/290992221.html
Economists Say Millennials Should Consider Careers in Trades
MPR News
Chris Arnold
As the economy continues to recover, economists are seeing stark differences between people with high school and college degrees. The unemployment rate is nearly twice as high for Americans with a high school diploma as for those with a four-year college degree or more.
But economists say that doesn’t mean everybody needs a four-year degree. In fact, millions of good-paying jobs are opening up in the trades. And some pay better than what the average college graduate makes.
Read more: http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/02/02/npr-millenial-trades
PolyMet Gets $30 Million Loan from Glencore
Duluth News Tribune
John Myers
Polymet is proposing Minnesota’s first-ever copper mine, an open pit project that is awaiting state and federal environmental approval. Regulators are expected to announce this spring whether the environmental review so far is enough to allow the project to move ahead.
The proposed Minnesota mine is PolyMet’s only project and, without any income, PolyMet has been burning through cash for more than a decade as it develops a mine plan, prospects for the best deposits and conducts an environmental review for the so-called NorthMet project.
“This loan facility covers our anticipated costs through 2015 as we work through completion of the final Environmental Impact Statement and subsequent issuance of permits needed to construct and operate NorthMet,” said Jon Cherry, PolyMet president and CEO, in a statement.
Read more: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/iron-range/3669521-polymet-gets-30-million-loan-glencore
Mining for Jobs, and Employees
Hibbing Daily Tribune
Marie Tolonen
Job seekers, many with resumes in hand, attended Mining Industry Day Friday at Minnesota Discovery Center.
Now in its third year, the event provides an opportunity for businesses in the mining and mining-related industries to meet with prospective employees.
Marla Beaty, a business service representative with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), works out of the Minnesota Workforce Centers in Hibbing, Virginia and Grand Rapids. She said she was very pleased with the attendance Friday.
3rd Mining Industry Day Friday in Chisholm
Mesabi Daily News
Angie Riebe
Job hunters will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with mining industry employers during the 3rd Annual Mining Industry Day.
The free event, set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm, will showcase mines and mining-related companies that have job openings — from entry level to highly skilled.
It is open to laborers, drivers, operators, mechanics, millwrights, electricians, testing and engineering technicians, engineers, IT, human resources, internships, and others.
Good Environment, Good Jobs: We Can Have Both
Mesabi Daily News
Opinion: Frank Ongaro (Mining Minnesota)
The Wall Street Journal recently published an opinion piece about the environmentalist’s Catch-22. The article was reminiscent of the cries we hear in Minnesota for sustainability and for reducing our carbon footprint.
Ironically, these pleas for a greener future forget that we rely on metals to execute this utopian vision. The voices are from the same individuals who frame copper-nickel mining as a dichotomous argument — jobs versus the environment.
But this simply isn’t a fair or accurate portrayal of the issues at hand. We are all environmentalists and we all enjoy the beauty and serenity of Minnesota’s wilderness. Our state has a lot to offer outdoor enthusiasts, and with a population above 3.5 million, there are many people who call Minnesota home who have an interest in protecting the outdoors for future generations.
A majority of these 3.5 million individuals also need jobs — jobs that support their families and provide opportunities for future generations of Minnesotans. Thankfully, we can have both — the environment and mining have coexisted for more than 130 years and with modern technologies, will continue to do so as we expand the state’s rich mining tradition.