St. Paul, MN—State Representative Spencer Igo, R-Wabana Township, released the following statement in response to today’s announcement that Mesabi Metallics plans to build a $15 billion steel mill in eastern Iowa, which is expected to employ as many as 1,700 workers once fully operational. The announcement comes shortly after Mesabi Metallics is opening the nation’s first new iron ore mine in more than 50 years in Nashwauk. Rep. Igo represents the area in the Minnesota House of Representatives:
“Mesabi Metallics opening their mine in Nashwauk is a big win for the Iron Range and our Nation. While the ore will be mined here in Minnesota and will strengthen and bolster not just the Iron Range but the steel industry in the United States for generations, Mesabi’s next $15 billion investment and as many as 1,700 jobs are going to Iowa. That should frustrate everyone who cares about the future of northern Minnesota.
“This region has taken enough gut punches. We lost the Huber board plant near Grand Rapids, critical minerals projects have spent years working through Minnesota’s regulatory process, and now we are watching another enormous investment land somewhere else. We cannot keep watching billions of dollars in investment and thousands of good-paying jobs go elsewhere and pretend there is nothing we can do about it. The people of the Iron Range want this opportunity, and we have the workers, the resources, and the communities ready to support these projects. State leaders need to start making Minnesota a place where companies want to build and create jobs, not a place they look to leave behind. The most important part of public policy is partnership, and the state of Minnesota is missing that.”
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