News - Jobs For Minnesotans

Career Path in Mining Country: ‘I Can Do That’

February 24, 2015

Mesabi Daily News
Angie Riebe

Bryan Harp grew up in Aurora, the son of a miner.

It was never his own dream to go into mining. Yet, his career path has been tied to the industry for years.

He thoroughly enjoys his current work.

It’s work that, in fact, at one time he didn’t even know existed.

Mining and Higher Education

February 20, 2015

Hometown Focus
Jean Cole

High schools students in the region who are interested in exploring career options in mining and mining-related fields can do so through the Applied Learning Institute (ALI). ALI is a partnership between the five community colleges of the Northeast Higher Education District (NHED) and 22 northeast Minnesota high schools whose purpose is to return and expand technical education opportunities in our high schools.

It’s an opportunity for secondary students to explore a career path, and earn college credit, while still in high school. ALI has six program areas, but we’re talking mining here today, so I’m focusing on their Industrial Technology program.

PEIS Consideration Was Waste of Time

February 16, 2015

Mesabi Daily News
Editorial

The proposed Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Superior National Forest because of copper/nickel/precious metals mining projects was an incredible waste of time brought to everyone by extreme environmentalists.

While we are pleased that U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials finally put a stamp of common sense on this issue by saying there is no need for such a far-reaching environmental impact study, here’s what they should have also said to the environmentalists who sought it: “Why are you wasting our time and money to even have to consider this. It’s a frivolous request.”

The PEIS would have been a duplication of what is already being done as far as an environmental impact statement for the PolyMet project near Hoyt Lakes and what will be done for the nonferrous Twin Metals project near Ely and Babbitt.

Nolan: PEIS Won’t Be Needed

February 13, 2015

Mesabi Daily News
Bill Hanna

There will be no far-reaching Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Superior National Forest regarding potential copper/nickel/precious metals ventures.

Eighth District Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan said in a telephone interview on Friday that he has received confirmation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that a PEIS will not be necessary as requested by some environmentalists.

“It would have been a totally unnecessary layer of government, which has limited resources,” Nolan said.

Counterpoint: BWCA and Mines Can Coexist

February 5, 2015

Star Tribune
Opinion: Hoyt Lakes Mayor Mark Skelton; President and CEO of the Hibbing Area Chamber of Commerce Lory Fedo; and BWCA outfitter, former Ely mayor and longtime Ely-area resident Joe Baltich Jr.

As children of mining communities and full-time residents of Iron Range communities, we agree that the BWCA is worth fighting for. So are the good-paying permanent jobs that mining brings — jobs that support families and communities, small businesses and schools. To characterize this issue as a choice between environment and jobs is a false premise. To suggest that a sustainable economy can be supported by seasonal and minimum-wage hospitality jobs is contrary to legitimate economic research and Main Street reality.

Our region already benefits from the tens of thousands of jobs and nearly $3 billion economic impact that mining and the supporting industries add to our economy each year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual wage for a Minnesota mining job is $83,359, more than $30,000 above the all-industries average.

We have an opportunity to double the number of overall jobs and economic benefit, and to truly sustain our region and the state for generations to come. For all Minnesota school districts, for example, the state Department of Natural Resources estimates that the royalties to the permanent school trust lands fund from all of the copper-nickel projects will generate over $2 billion. Any good economist will tell you that you do not replace the pie, you grow the pie.