St. Paul, Minnesota (May 15, 2017) – Jobs for Minnesotans today shared the following statement in response to the release of the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for Enbridge’s Line 3 Replacement Program:
“The release of the draft environmental impact statement for the Line 3 Replacement Program is an important milestone for safe energy transportation in our region. We have a common interest with the Department of Commerce and Enbridge in protecting the people, communities and waterways of Minnesota while efficiently delivering the energy our residents and businesses rely on every day. This thorough document is a positive step toward achieving that goal and engaging stakeholders in the regulatory process,” said Nancy Norr, Jobs for Minnesotans board chair and Minnesota Power director of regional development.
“The Line 3 Replacement Program will support more than 1,500 Minnesota construction jobs. These are jobs that sustain families, putting food on the table and creating opportunities for the next generation of our workforce. We’re pleased to be one step closer to realizing these important economic returns,” said Harry Melander, Jobs for Minnesotans co-founder and president of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council.
“Enbridge has a safe track record and is a great example of a good corporate citizen. The company is prepared to invest $2.1 billion in Minnesota during the course of this project. These are dollars that will benefit our state’s economy and our people,” said Doug Loon, Jobs for Minnesotans board member and president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.
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.
###
Media Contact: Nancy Norr
nnorr@mnpower.com
Office: 218.723.3905
Cell: 218.590.6978
Reader’s View: Remember, Mining Supports Minnesota Schools
Duluth News Tribune
Michael Cole
In the battle between pro-mining and anti-mining groups, the issues always seem to be jobs and pollution. Forgotten, it seems, is another important issue. That issue is the Permanent School Trust Fund. This fund was created when Minnesota was granted statehood and is part of the Minnesota state constitution. The idea was to have a permanent fund to help public schools with funding, the payments based on a per-pupil formula for each public school district in Minnesota.
Study Shows Mining Impact Triples Tourism
Mesabi Daily News
Jerry Burnes
A 10 percent increase in mining activity would benefit the Duluth-Arrowhead region more than three times as much than a similar tourism boost, according to a new study by the Praxis Strategy Group.
The study, sponsored by advocacy group MiningMinnesota, concluded a 10 percent increase in mining would create 567 new jobs compared to 161 in the tourism-impacted areas. Average earnings in those created jobs would average out to $66,300 in mining and $25,000 in tourism.
In D.C., a Changing Tone on Withdrawal
Mesabi Daily News
Jerry Burnes
The meetings were set in a private hallway on Capitol Hill last week, just outside the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar emerged first, and at a separate meeting time U.S. Sen. Al Franken briefly left the hearing for one of President Trump’s most important appointments.
A coalition of six representatives from the Iron Range were waiting for the lawmakers, packets of information in hand.
The gatherings were orchestrated as part of a larger effort by the Range delegation to persuade Washington to roll back a proposed mining activity moratorium on more than 234,000 acres of federal lands in the Superior National Forest. Less than a week earlier, the U.S. Forest Service collected public comments and extended the deadline by 120 days, but the cordial face-to-face time with senators, congressmen and agencies was a measured lobbying effort to hear the impacts from the Range itself.
Our Views: A Fight Worth Fighting
Mesabi Daily News
Editorial Board
Mining advocates have asked over the last several months, “How do we fight it?” referring to the barrage of opposition to copper-nickel projects. It’s the $1 billion question concerning Twin Metals. Answering it will take a strong chorus of voices to show federal agencies how the project would serve as a leading economic driver for the Ely region, providing a small degree of diversification within the mining industry.
On Thursday the U.S. Forest Service hosts the first of what will now be two public comment hearings on a proposed land withdrawal from future mining leases. More than 234,000 acres are on the chopping block — for potentially 20 years — including acreage the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management already denied Twin Metals from exploratory access to research its concept for an underground copper-nickel mine.