St. Paul, Minn. (August 22, 2022) – Jobs for Minnesotans released the below statement following today’s announcement that Twin Metals Minnesota filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to reclaim their mineral leases that were canceled by the Department of Interior in January:
“Jobs for Minnesotans firmly stands behind Twin Metals Minnesota’s right to a fair review of their project. We are extremely disappointed by the series of seemingly politically motivated federal actions to kill their project over the last 10 months.
“These actions set a dangerous precedent. They are an attack on all mining in northeast Minnesota, jeopardize domestic access to critical clean energy minerals and are an affront to the people of northeast Minnesota who have proudly and responsibly developed natural resources for generations.
“The actions taken against the Twin Metals project ignore the rigorous science-based environmental review process outlined in law. We believe the environmental review process will prove this project can mine safely and protect the environment.
“Over the 25-year life of the Twin Metals mine plan, the project will produce enough minerals to support manufacture of clean energy technologies including: enough nickel to make 7 million electric vehicles, enough copper to create more than a quarter million wind turbines and enough copper to support production of 250,000 megawatts of solar power.
“Twin Metals’ proposed mine will revitalize the economy of northeast Minnesota by creating more than 750 high-wage, family-sustaining mining jobs plus 1,500 spinoff jobs in the region.”
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 6,300 companies and 500,000 employees. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow @JobsforMN on Twitter and find the coalition on Facebook.com/Jobs4MN.
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