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.

###

Media Contact:
Tony Kwilas
651-292-4668
tkwilas@mnchamber.com

BusinessNorth

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.

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.

MinnPost
Opinion: Ruthe Batulis and Jason George

When you measure job creation, Minnesota is doing better than most states today. If we wish to continue this trend for 2013 and beyond, we must always be working to attract industries that can generate good paying jobs for our citizens.

The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49 represents 13,000 heavy-equipment operators, most of which make their living building the infrastructure of Minnesota. The Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce represents businesses of all kinds in the Southeast Suburbs of the Twin Cities. Business and labor don’t always agree, but when it comes to job creation, and specifically the jobs that will come with the mining of strategic metals in Northern Minnesota, we couldn’t agree more. 

Minnesota is fortunate to have an abundance of natural resources. We are literally, “by nature” an agricultural state, a timber state and a mining state. The jobs these industries have brought have raised families for generations here. We have an emerging prospect right now in Northeast Minnesota for the mining of strategic metals. Metals such as copper, nickel, platinum, palladium, cobalt and gold are known to be plentiful and now accessible. One of several deposits already has over 4 billion tons of these minerals identified.

Mesabi Daily News
Opinion: Bill Travis

In Northeastern Minnesota, jobs growth and long-term prosperity are tied to a thriving mining industry.

The current publicly reported estimates of the nonferrous mining opportunities suggest there are very significant deposits with a 50-year-plus project life, providing good jobs and career opportunities, significant tax revenues and long-term prosperity for our region.

Our governor, legislators and our president need to get fully behind the mining industry and demonstrate more leadership and can-do, will-do attitude to make sure the Minnesota nonferrous opportunities are capitalized upon.

Mesabi Daily News
Editorial

Two lawmakers — one in Washington and one in St. Paul — who have represented the Iron Range for considerably different length of tenures, but both with a strong passion for mining and jobs in the region, are no longer on the job as new sessions of the Legislature and Congress begin.

Former state Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Pike Township, did not seek re-election in November and resigned after serving 16 terms. Former Republican 8th District U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack, who stunned former Rep. Jim Oberstar in the heavily Democratic 8th District, was defeated in his re-election bid.

They were political parties apart on most issues. But when it came to mining and the jobs created and those that should have already been created, they were always solid in their support for taconite and copper/nickel/precious metals ventures.

Ely Echo

Private sector investment in non-ferrous leases and mineral exploration is up significantly in recent years. While exploration is active, non-ferrous metallic mining has not been permitted in Minnesota to date. The mineral royalty revenue potential to the school trust from non-ferrous sources is significant.

The DNR’s Division of Lands and Minerals currently estimates that three non-ferrous metallic mineral deposits identified as potential mines could generate $2.4 billion in added revenue to the Permanent School Fund over the life of the mines.

Pioneer Press
Opinion: Val Vargas

I applaud the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council for coming together to promote economic growth and job creation in Minnesota (“Metals mining in Minnesota means a hundred years of jobs and revenue,” Nov. 16).

Together, they formed a coalition aptly titled Jobs for Minnesotans. When business and labor are able to partner on an issue, such as strategic metals mining, it’s one Minnesotans should pay attention to and support.

Mineweb
Lawrence Williams

In what must be a welcome development for prospective miners, PolyMet and Duluth Metals, Minnesota’s Chamber of Commerce and local mining unions will be mounting a combined campaign to try to ensure that mining of what has to be one of the world’s most significant mineral deposits, is given the go-ahead by state and federal bodies.  According to a report in the Duluth News Tribune, The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the state’s largest business group, and the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council have formed “Jobs for Minnesotans” to promote development of the state’s first-ever massive base and precious metals mining operations on the Duluth Metallurgical Complex which hosts one of the world’s largest potential polymetallic orebodies and which could see large scale mining for the next century, with its associated employment and tax benefits for the state and federal economies.

The Duluth Complex hosts an enormous resource of relatively low grade polymetallic mineralisation, which in combination represents perhaps the world’s largest ever discovery of an orebody containing copper, nickel, cobalt, pgms and gold – and Polymet and the Duluth Metals 60:40 jv with Antofagasta – the Twin Metals project – are the two most advanced projects on the Complex at the moment.  However the area where these enormous deposits is hosted lies in an environmentally sensitive locality between the Boundary Waters recreational area and brownfields mining and processing sites left over from the still significant Minnesota taconite iron ore mines and process plants.

Duluth News Tribune
John Myers

Two groups often on opposing sides of heated issues have joined hands to promote Minnesota’s fledgling copper mining industry and other big construction projects.

The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the state’s largest business group, and the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council have formed “Jobs for Minnesotans” to promote development of the state’s first-ever copper mining operations.