Economic development in Babbitt, Mn.

Here is another way to diversify and improve the local economy. Have we started this process in Babbitt?

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Trails like Mesabi and Prospectors Loop expand Ely’s economic reach

The Prospectors Loop faces challenges as well. Connecting Ely to the North Shore, Tower and Babbitt, as well as Embarrass and the two state parks (Bear Head and Lake Vermilion) would create a world class ATV experience.
Wisconsin is well ahead of Minnesota in offering ATV riders a friendly climate, just as states out west have. We can catch up in a hurry with the Prospectors Loop but it will take some time to get the permits in place and find the right funding sources.

http://www.elyecho.com/articles/2014/06/15/trails-mesabi-and-prospectors-loop-expand-ely%E2%80%99s-economic-reach

Yard Sign | We Support Mining and Clean Water

New Mining Support Signs Are Available! Get your order in soon!

Yard signs will be available for purchase only until July 16.

Yard Sign | We Support Mining and Clean Water

Precious Waters - Friends of the Boundary Waters Director lacking knowledge and workable solutions.

Excellent article in the Ely Echo analyzing Friends Of The Boundary Waters Director Reid Carron's recent letter to the editor in the Ely Echo.

LETTER: ... As long as the population of the world continues to grow, so does the demand for raw materials

http://www.elyecho.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=12599&SectionID=17&SubSectionID=34 

The Important Of Minnesota Mining

The challenge for this region and state is to continue to educate other individuals as to the reality of current advanced mining technologies and potential economic improvement for this region in addition to a service and tourism based economy. It is an all of the above approach economy. Mining will be done in an environmentally safe and sustainable manner. It will take time and work in many media oulets to educate towards this reality but it can be done at a grassroots level. It is one way to educate beyond the misinformation readily distributed in an organized media campaign by extremist and alarmist groups. We all use the products produced from minerals mining. Common examples of this are the computer, cell phones and motor vehicles among a few. To think that we do not need mining is at best hypocritical. It is a not in my back yard approach by some. We can best oversee environmental stewardship with the multiple checks and regulatory environment that exist already. This often does not occur in other countries so indeed we are being responsible globally by mining here.

Full Article Here:
http://northeastrange.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/letter-to-the-editor-the-important-of-minnesota-mining/

Minnesota 8th District Candidate Rick Nolan - Picking Winners And Losers

EPA rules don't make a difference?  How it affects power and mining.

Here is how a vote might make a difference in Minnesota in regards to your current or future line of employment: Electric plants in the Northland produce electricity for our mining industry in this area and provide local jobs.

Hoyt Lakes Mayor Marlene Pospeck said she is equally concerned about the state Public Utilities Commission’s threat to close Minnesota Power’s Laskin Energy Center in Hoyt Lakes and Taconite Harbor Energy Center by 2016.

http://www.looktruenorth.com/72-elections/us-congressional/20250-nolan-will-fight-for-mining-jobs-who-knew.html 
 
The closing would affect 40 jobs in Hoyt Lakes. And Pospeck said it would have a devastating effect on the city’s property taxes. “Laskin is about 70 percent of Hoyt Lakes’ tax base,” she said.

Those seem to be real jobs we are talking about here.

The state Commerce Department, which intervenes in utility cases, has urged the PUC to require Minnesota Power to shut down by 2017 both units of its Laskin Energy Center and one of three units at its Taconite Harbor Energy Center, and replace their power with new wind farms and natural gas-fired power plants.

But the Duluth-based utility, whose 144,000 customers in central and northeast Minnesota include the power-thirsty mining industry, says the three generators still produce power economically and that the idea of retiring them needs far more study. The three units represent about 13 percent of the utility's coal-based generating capacity.

http://www.startribune.com/business/165526916.html?refer=y

How about the mining industry?

Will there be the jobs if these regulations (BART) are implemented? Does it make some operations cost prohibitive to continue? Good questions, have a look at the Tilden Mine in Michigan for a cost to industry to get an idea of how this would effect mining facilities. It appears to be 35 - 38 Million at that facility along with annual costs.

Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; States of Minnesota and Michigan; Regional Haze Federal Implementation Plan
Full Report Link:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-08-15/pdf/2012-19789.pdf

The PCA rules approved in April were looser than the state agency's staff originally proposed. They were eased after Cliffs Natural Resources officials said the Hibbing Taconite and United Taconite plants would have trouble complying with proposed nitrogen oxide limits. Critics have said that any tougher haze rules could hurt the state's taconite industry, even forcing some lower-margin operations to close.

Does this sound like it might affect some jobs?

But those tougher limits are now back on the plate, and supporters say the EPA was forced to act because Minnesota regulators "shirked their responsibility."

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_21338933/iron-range-epa-calls-tougher-air-pollution-rules

Who does this affect regionally?
Minnesota .... U.S. Steel, Minntac .......................................... Grate-Kiln Lines 3–7.
Minnesota. Northshore Mining Company-Straight-Grate Furnaces 11 and 12.
Minnesota . United Taconite ................................ Grate-Kiln Lines 1 and 2.
Minnesota... ArcelorMittal Steel ............................................ 1 Straight-Grate.
Minnesota ... Hibbing Taconite .......................... Straight-Grate Lines 1–3.
Minnesota.... U.S. Steel, Keetac ........................................... 1 Grate-Kiln.
Michigan..... Tilden Mining .................................................... Grate-Kiln Line 1.

Some estimated costs:

Cost of Control

Minntac estimated the annualized pollution control cost of installing and operating WWESPs on Lines 3, 4, and 5 to be between $20,000 and $24,000 per ton of SO2 removed. The cost of installing and operating a secondary wet scrubber on these lines was estimated to be between $14,000 and $16,000 per ton of SO2 removed. The annualized pollution control cost of installing and operating WWESPs on Lines 6 and 7 was estimated to be approximately $18,000 per ton of SO2 removed. The cost of installing and operating a secondary wet scrubber on these lines was estimated to be between approximately $12,000 per ton of SO2 removed.

Cost of Control
ArcelorMittal estimated the annualized pollution control cost of installing and operating WWESPs to be about $116,000 per ton of SO2 removed.The cost of installing and operating a secondary wet scrubber was estimated to be approximately $83,000 per ton of SO2 removed.

Cost of Control
Northshore estimated the annualized pollution control cost of installing and operating secondary WWESPs ranged from roughly $180,000 to $540,000 per ton of SO2 removed. The cost of installing and operating a secondary wet scrubber was estimated to be between $140,000 and $420,000 per ton of SO2 removed.

Cost of Control
Hibbing estimated the annualized pollution control cost of installing and operating WWESPs to be about $37,000 per ton of SO2 removed. The cost ofinstalling and operating a secondary wet scrubber was estimated to be between $57,000 and $67,000 per ton of SO2 removed. Given the space limitations and equipment additions that would be required to modify the existing wet scrubber, Hibbing determined that it would be more cost effective toconstruct a new, secondary scrubber; therefore, no cost estimate was provided for modifications to the existing wet scrubber.

The following table illustrates the SO2 emission reductions projected by Tilden with the technically feasible technologies.

TABLE V–B.37—PROJECTED ANNUAL SO2 EMISSION REDUCTIONS
SDA     90 0.03 $38,403,000
Wet Scrubber  80 0.05 7,448,000
WWESP  80 0.05 15,733,000
Dry Scrubber  55 0.11 35,381,000

More Information:
Potential Impacts of the Federal Regional Haze and Best Available Retrofit Technology
Rules on the Taconite Industry in Minnesota
Final Report for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
September 30, 2003
Barr Engineering Company
Project No. 23/62-833
CFMS Contract No. A45712
Report from 2003:
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/view-document.html?gid=2235

(See Attachments I through M for annualized cost figures:)

Minnesota Regional Haze Plan - Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/air/air-quality-and-pollutants/general-air-quality/state-implementation-plan/minnesota-regional-haze-plan.html

We end up with this quote from Candidate Rick Nolan in the eigth congressional district of Minnesota.

Rick Nolan: "These [EPA] rules and regulations are not job killers. Quite frankly, they are job creators.”

How so Rick, one industry like wind energy wins, while others in Minnesota who work in these industries lose miserably in the end??   Are you supporting all of the people and jobs in the 8th district Rick and would you be acting responsibly if you were given the chance? Minnesota's mining industry is ranked number one in gross product output - adding more than $3.1 billion annually to the regional economy. Why should we throw this industry away?

http://www.taconite.org/campaign.php

Rather than a win lose approach promoted by Rick Nolan and the democratic party leadership, wouldn't we be better off with a win win approach using all of our natural resources in an effective and common sense manner that allows our business to stay in business? This is after all, real jobs we are talking about now.

Oh, but Rick would support us anyhow right?  Lets have a look at the last pretty much party line vote on the land exchange to support our school children in all of Minnesota.
So, how did the parties vote?

House Vote 568 - H.R.5544: On Passage
Mainly Republican For And Democratic Against.
http://politics.nytimes.com/congress/votes/112/house/2/568

Rick is a good democratic trooper along with the best or worst of them. You can count on his vote against the people,communities and jobs of Minnesota.

Let's just not allow that failure to occur.

Political Fundraiser For Congressman Chip Cravaack, 8th District, Minnesota

Where: Semer's Beach, Ely, Minnesota When:  6:00pm until 8:00pm

Monday, Sept. 17th, 2012 Semer's Beach Ely, MN Brats & Beans Congressman Cravaack has OUR back Come show that we have HIS back! Directions: Coming to Ely on Hwy 169, at the first stop light turn left on Central Ave and go to stop sign on Camp St. N Central Ave becomes N Pioneer Rd. Continue driving past Wilderness Outfitters, turn left on W Shagawa Rd. Drive .3 miles, turn right on N Lakeview Ave. Drive .1 mile and turn left on W Lakeview Pl.Semer's Beach pavillion straight ahead. Hwy 21 from Babbitt, it becomes Central Ave. At the stop light at Sheridan St, keep going straight to the stop sign on Camp Street. Attend this fundraiser and thank Congressman Cravaack for getting HR 5544 passed in the House. This will swap out the School Trust Fund lands in the Boundary Waters for Forest Service lands outside of the Boundary Waters.

Iron Range Economy A Major Concern - Jim Tuomala, Republican Candidate For State Representative House District 3A

Below is a letter to the page from Mr. Jim Tuomala, Republican Candidate For State Representative House District 3A.

Open Letter to Citizens of House Dist.3A

Tuomala for State Representative
House District 3A

Election signs are popping up, promises are being made and political posturing is always part of the show.  Once again, shaping up to be a typical campaign season, but with a unique set of carefully crafted distractions.  So far this year we have had the ostensible   “ War on Women” and when that didn’t pan out, the gender question of who gets to marry whom is serving its purpose to distract the voter from any real issues at hand for which the blame can be squarely placed.

I am talking about the state of our local economy which is supported by some very hard data. Lately, the feel good indicator has been a claim to only 6.6% unemployment in our area. While this may be an interesting statistic, it does not account for under-employment, people who have moved away, people who have quit looking for work or the percentage of retirees in our area. A different picture emerges when we look at other key metrics from the U.S. Census. The annual household income in our area is from 7.6% to 15% below the state average, the incidence of public assistance is nearly twice the state average and our district, now 3A, has once again grown in size due to re-districting caused by a loss of population. These data indicators tell us we are underpaid, out of work and too likely to be on welfare. To support our families we too frequently have to move or accept public assistance. Meanwhile, district politicians are once again fiddling while Rome is burning. Unlike other election cycles in which jobs and opportunities have purportedly been a top priority, this year many state and federal lawmakers remain eerily quiet locally when it comes to pulling the pin on the “mining grenade”.

 Our current situation as stated above has not occurred suddenly- say over the last 8 years and over two separate executive administrations. It has taken decades for our true mess to come to the forefront.  We as local citizens no longer seem to be in control of our own destiny. Instead, we have been led by a nose-ring to the whims of outside radical environmental influences and their DFL co-pilots over the past 40 years.  Exactly what is “acceptable” prosperity in our area is now being dictated to us through our local DFL legislators.  What we can and cannot do for a living is being largely determined by environmental rules regarding logging, mining and farming.  Our local DFL duo, Dill and Bakk , and those preceding them, have not done much during the past  40 years that sustains economics or that promotes prosperity. The recent solutions have been to tax, spend and regulate our area into recovery. Although several “feel good” projects i.e., Giant’s Ridge, IRRB, Discovery Center and bike trails came out of the deal these things are certainly nice to look at and visit but can hardly compare to our true worth in both local skilled labor workforce and natural resource availability. The IRRRB’s only strategy for private sector jobs is to buy them; at stunningly high prices to the taxpayers. The tax money used to fund these projects has been a great waste. Job creation has been geared more toward low level service industry incomes rather than middle class skilled labor employment opportunities.  The difference is politically obvious to me since there must be sufficient low income earners at the polls as well as controlled growth of the more independent middle class.

Unfortunately it is the family unit that suffers the most in our area when it isn’t necessary in the first place. We have not been taken seriously for a long time. I think we need new leadership to re-focus our efforts on our traditional careers of mining, logging, papermaking, farming, and tourism. Once back on solid economic footing in our area we need to diversify with technology and other opportunities. These will come along naturally with an economically viable area similar to our North Dakota neighbors while sustaining us better locally during the typical up/down cycles.

Tuomala for State Representative
PO Box188
Babbitt,MN. 55706

http://www.votejimtuomala.com/index.html

Jim can also be followed on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/TuomalaForStateRepresentative

Babbitt-Ely Copper-Nickel Mining, Mining Minnesota Fact Sheet

Minnesota is poised to become a global leader in supplying critical and strategic metals, such as copper and nickel, that are essential to our way of life.

Good information about the coming mining projects in Northeast Minnesota.

Fact Sheet Link: http://www.miningminnesota.com/factsheet2012.pdf

In Midwest, mining unearths jobs as well as metals

 "Overall international economic growth is driving the demand for these metals and will do so for years to come," said Bob McFarlin, vice president of Twin Metals Minnesota.

And mining means jobs. At $20-$25 an hour, it's money that can support a comfortable lifestyle.

They're the sorts of jobs with which "you can build a family, buy a home, send your kids to college and come and live in Northern Minnesota and have a very good career," McFarlin said.

Read More: CBS Evening News Report:>>   In Midwest, mining unearths jobs as well as metals

Twin Metals Mining Project - Babbitt, Minnesota

A new mining project appears to be heading for the Babbitt and northeast range area of Minnesota. Indications  are that the mine entrance could potentially be located close to Babbitt and that it provides advantages due to being in the St. Louis/Superior watershed. The local area capital investment is estimated to be between 2-3$ Billion with up to 1,000 employees depending on how operations pan out. This will be huge for economic development in Northeast Minnesota and provide needed employment for many.

Located in northern Minnesota, Twin Metals Minnesota’s 32,000 acres of property interests are roughly 10 miles to the east of Babbitt, Minn. and about 15 miles to the southeast of Ely, Minn. Within this area are four NI 43-101 compliant mineral deposits: Nokomis, Maturi, Spruce Road and Birch Lake.

A mining project of this magnitude is brought to life through a multi-year systematic process involving multiple public, private and local, state and federal government stakeholders. After the strategic metals deposits were better defined by Duluth Metals Limited, the company formed a partnership with Antofagasta PLC, and together they founded Twin Metals Minnesota LLC in January 2010.

For More Information And Maps Visit The Following Links:

Twin Metals - Inside The Project

Duluth Complex Mineral Deposits (Polymet Website)