Uncategorized - Jobs For Minnesotans

Nolan: PEIS Won’t Be Needed

February 13, 2015

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

February 5, 2015

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.

Economists Say Millennials Should Consider Careers in Trades

February 2, 2015

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.

PolyMet Gets $30 Million Loan from Glencore

February 2, 2015

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.

Mining for Jobs, and Employees

January 31, 2015

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

January 26, 2015

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

January 20, 2015

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.

Demand for U.S. Minerals on the Rise

November 15, 2014

Hibbing Daily Tribune

Minerals are vital to manufacturing products and technologies that propel the U.S. economy, fostering innovation and supporting U.S. industrial competitiveness. A growing global population, and development of new technologies and products that rely on greater combinations of minerals, have increased demand for raw materials.

U of M Officials Seek Money from State for Mining Research

November 15, 2014

Duluth News Tribune
John Myers

Frank Ongaro, executive director of Mining Minnesota, the copper-nickel industry group, said he’s heard few details on the initiative.

“We’ll be watching and paying attention,” Ongaro said. “But it strikes me that if the university can fund and support research aimed at bettering the state’s mining industry, at the same time the mining industry is giving so much back to the state, that’s a good thing all around.”

Weberg said he expects the initiative to act as a problem solver for the industry as well as help allay fears of mining critics and skeptics.

“What can we do to make Minnesota mining more efficient; to reduce its footprint on the land; to reduce its energy use and carbon footprint? What can we do to reduce waste so that less raw material has to be mined?” Weberg said.

Chilean Mining Giant Buying Duluth Metals, Minnesota Copper Interests

November 3, 2014

MPR News
Martin Moylan

Duluth Metals, the firm that’s been pushing to build a copper-nickel mine in northeast Minnesota, said Monday it is selling its operations to Chilean mining giant Antofagasta PLC for about $85 million.

Antofagasta and Duluth Metals have been partners in Twin Metals Minnesota, which wants to build a massive underground mine near Ely, Minnesota, just a few miles south of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The region may hold what could be the world’s largest untapped source of copper and other precious metals valued at perhaps $100 billion.