Minnesota lands on new leases for Hibbing Taconite
Jerry Burnes/Iron Range Today New mineral leases were approved Thursday for Hibbing Taconite — not those leases — to expand the mine’s ore body out several months. Minnesota’s Executive Council, which consists of the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and auditor, unanimously issued the leases without discussion. “On behalf of our more…
Cleveland-Cliffs set to reopen Northshore Mining in April
By Jerry Burnes/Iron Range Today Northshore Mining in Silver Bay and Babbitt will reopen in at least a partial capacity by early April, with workers set to return to the job site as early as next week. Local and statewide elected officials were notified of the plans Monday and recall notices were sent to workers…
Cliffs is ready to drive the automotive inventory comeback
By Jerry Burnes/Iron Range Today Cleveland-Cliffs has set its sights on the auto industry as one of the company’s keys for 2023. The steelmaker announced Tuesday that it secured fixed price contracts with automakers, a move that could put Cliffs in the driver’s seat when automakers begin to rebuild their inventory in a post-pandemic era…
Analysis: Slim margin in Minnesota Senate a tipping point for mining reform bills
Jerry Burnes/Iron Range Today A set of bills that would significantly alter the landscape of mining in Minnesota and the Iron Range face an ominous path through the Legislature, with a key senator standing in opposition and the standard partisan divide ready to tip the scales. One of those efforts — Senate File 167 and…
Minnesota DNR retains control of Iron Range mineral leases, opening up a new era in Nashwauk
Jerry Burnes/Iron Range Today Essar Global once promised to do something the Iron Range had never seen. Almost 15 years later, not one part of that promise has been fulfilled, and after Tuesday it seems more unlikely it will ever be seen. The Minnesota Supreme Court declined to hear a petition by Mesabi Metallics, whose…
What to know: A decision nears on Mesabi Metallics leases in Nashwauk
Jerry Burnes/Iron Range Today A new year ushers in a new chapter for the Mesabi Metallics project and state mineral leases in Nashwauk, this time with a finish line in sight for those beleaguered by years of failed starts, ownership changes, legal battles, late payments and general stress. Adding to the saga is the unknown…
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