We Can Mine Responsibly—Restore Our Rights
The Hill
Steve Giorgi, Kyle Makarios and Nancy Norr
Minnesota is not only one of the most beautiful states in the nation, it is also home to one of the world’s largest deposits of copper, nickel and other strategic resources. These are the minerals that give us technologies and devices required for modern life — indoor plumbing, electricity, cars, planes, smartphones, computers, wind turbines and solar panels. Without the mining of these precious metals, none of these items would exist and our daily lives would look much different.
Unfortunately, some would rather see these jobs and economic benefits outsourced to foreign countries with fewer environmental and worker protections and regulations. They refuse to accept that we can work towards a better way of life for our children and preserve our state’s scenic beauty at the same time. They would like you to believe that a haphazard, overly expansive ban on future development is the only option.
Read More: http://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/362378-we-can-mine-responsibly-restore-our-rights
U.S. House Passes PolyMet Land Exchange Bill
Mesabi Daily News
Jerry Burnes
Passage of the bill in House marks a major milestone for the PolyMet project, which needs the land exchange to allow the Army Corps. of Engineers to weigh in on the project, effectively ending the federal hurdles for the long-awaited open pit copper-nickel mine near Hoyt Lakes.
The land exchange, which was approved by the Obama administration, swaps more than 6,5000 acres with PolyMet and provides the federal government with more wetlands, public access lands, lakeshore and more. It does not approve the PolyMet project, Nolan stressed on the House floor Tuesday, but it does clear the way for the project in one respect, after more than 10 years of environmental review.
“It’s very exciting,” Nolan said “It’s going to put a lot of people back to work in the mines. The success of this long, drawn-out PolyMet process is being watched by a lot of people around the country and around the world.”
The bill needs a companion in the U.S. Senate to advance, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., has volunteered to carry the bill in the upper chamber, Nolan said. Klobuchar and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., were early supporters of the land exchange bill, citing that the agencies had already signed off on it.
Our View: CEO Says PolyMet Will Mine ‘Safely,’ ‘Appropriately’
Duluth News Tribune
Editorial Board
“There’s a responsibility no matter where you mine to do it correctly and appropriately and to protect the environment,” [PolyMet CEO Jon] Cherry said. “I am 100 percent confident we’ll be protective of the St. Louis River watershed and Lake Superior and downstream. I think you could actually take our design and put it anywhere and be just as protective of the environment.”
[…]
“Our employees at PolyMet, they live here, they work here, they raise their families here, they want to recreate here. Who has a more vested interest in making sure this is done correctly?” Cherry asked. “There’s demand for all this metal. We have a chance to develop it responsibly here. I don’t think there’s anyone in here who doesn’t want clean air, who doesn’t want clean water.”
Emmer Bill to Allow Twin Metals Passes House Committee
Duluth News Tribune
John Myers
If it clears the House and Senate and is signed by President Trump, the bill would undo a last-minute move by the Obama administration to revoke mining exploration leases from Twin Metals for its proposed mine along the Kawishiwi River just outside the BWCAW, southeast of Ely.
St. Paul, Minn. (Nov. 8, 2017) – Jobs for Minnesotans, MiningMinnesota and the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools released the following statement in response to recent progress in the House Committee on Natural Resources on H.R. 3905, Minnesota’s Economic Rights in the Superior National Forest Act.
“Our organizations are very encouraged to see H.R. 3905 pass through the House Committee on Natural Resources. This represents significant progress toward correcting injustices to Minnesota, and in particular the northeastern part of the state.
We are thankful for the Committee’s support of the Act and understanding that swift passage of this bill into law is critical to protecting our economy and a way of life in the region. Our members are Minnesota residents who enjoy the hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for which the state is known but also need a way to make a living. This is a region that has mined responsibly for 130 years and with the opportunity to develop strategic metals projects will remain as a strong natural resource development based economy for generations to come.
The economic opportunities from mining projects are significant – thousands of direct jobs, two times as many jobs in spinoff industries and billions of dollars to support K-12 education across the state. The emerging mining industry is an investment in the future well-being of our state and nation, and this legislation helps to secure that future.”
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 55,000 workers and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce representing 2,300 companies and 500,000 employees. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow @JobsforMN on Twitter and find the coalition on Facebook.com/Jobs4MN.
About MiningMinnesota
MiningMinnesota is an industrial trade organization made up of all nonferrous exploration and mineral development companies in Minnesota, along with approximately 100 supplier and vendor businesses, all committed to sustainable and environmentally responsible copper-nickel and PGM mineral development and mining in Minnesota.
About Range Association of Municipalities and Schools
Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS) represents more than 72,000 residents and 47 public sector units of government, including 23 cities, 15 public school districts and nine townships, in the 13,000 square mile Taconite Assistance Area (TAA) of northeast Minnesota.
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Media Contacts:
Nancy Norr
Jobs for Minnesotans Chair
nnorr@mnpower.com
218.723.3905
Frank Ongaro
MiningMinnesota Executive Director
fongaro@miningminnesota.org
218.393.2301
Steve Giorgi
RAMS Executive Director
SGiorgi@ramsmn.org
218.780.8877