Duluth News Tribune
Nancy Norr
Sometimes I wonder: Does the federal government know — or even care — that we in the Northland believe in a strong and fair regulatory process and remain committed to building economic prosperity for ourselves and our future generations?
That commitment was put in jeopardy on Dec. 15, a date that won’t soon be forgotten by Northeastern Minnesotans who fought for decades to bring good new jobs and lasting stability to the Iron Range and to the greater Duluth region. On that day, with the politically motivated stroke of a pen, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management enacted a massive federal land withdrawal, a step that could effectively fence off from exploration and development for 20 years or more a vast, mineral-rich expanse of Northeastern Minnesota.