St. Paul, Minnesota (Sept. 7, 2023) – Jobs for Minnesotans released the following statement in response to the decision released yesterday by a U.S. District Court judge to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Twin Metals Minnesota on August 22, 2022, to regain its federal mineral leases:

Jobs for Minnesotans is outraged and extremely disappointed by the decision yesterday to dismiss the Twin Metals lawsuit. The company and the communities of northeast Minnesota deserve their day in court to defend federal mineral rights in this region arbitrarily taken away by the Biden administration in early 2022.

While just this week, the Biden administration announced a massive $150 million investment through the Department of Energy to advance domestic production of critical minerals – some of the exact minerals Twin Metals would be mining.

This action sends a harsh message to the business community: do not expect fair treatment in the United States. A company can spend more than half-a-billion dollars on exploration, research, community engagement and development of a project based on mineral leases in good standing for over 50 years – and get them taken out from under you at a moment’s notice due to what seems like a closed-door political favor, instead of rigorous, site-specific, scientific studies and public review of the project plan.

Twin Metals was never looking to begin mining tomorrow, they simply wanted the opportunity to proceed through the environmental review process, as outlined in law, to prove they can both safely protect the surrounding environment and mine the critical minerals needed for the clean energy transition.

You cannot combat the climate crisis through green energy technologies like electric vehicles, solar panels or windmills without the minerals that are located in northeast Minnesota. We as a country cannot continue to shut out an industry in one breath and then expect to have the ability to make this critical clean energy transition in another.

The communities of northeast Minnesota will remain steadfast in supporting Twin Metals in their next move to defend mineral rights and bring thousands of jobs to a region that deeply needs investment.

About Jobs for Minnesotans

Jobs for Minnesotans, a coalition representing business, labor and communities, supports statewide opportunities for prosperity and middle-class jobs from sustainable natural resource development in Minnesota. The organization is committed to the principle that our state can preserve both job opportunities and the environment for future generations. Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council representing 70,000 workers and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce representing 2,300 members and 500,000 employees. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow @JobsforMN on Twitter or LinkedIn and find the coalition on Facebook.com/Jobs4MN.

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