Letter to Editor:
Kathryn Hoffman, an attorney and the CEO of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA), based in St. Paul, recently spoke to the Tuesday Noon luncheon group at the Grand Ely Lodge. MCEA has long opposed copper-nickel projects in general and especially Twin Metals proposed mine in the Rainy River Watershed, located near Babbitt and Ely.
Hoffman’s talk referenced executive orders issued by President Trump to speed up the permitting process, making it easier for copper-nickel mining projects to proceed. She went on to mock the shorter permitting timeline proposed by the Trump administration but failed to mention that PolyMet/NewRange has been seeking a mine operating permit to develop its copper mine near Hoyt Lakes for more than 18 years.
After concluding her talk, Hoffman took questions from the Tuesday Noon group that has mostly opposed Twin Metals’ proposed mine. The last question asked was, “how would Twin Metals’ mine benefit the community?” She answered the question by suggesting that it probably would not much benefit the community because new mining technology would employ fewer workers?
Really, Kathryn, you can’t do any better than that! Hoffman consciously ignored Twin Metals’ projections -
• The project is a $1.7-billion-dollar development that will employ hundreds of workers during a two-year construction period timeline;
• The mine will create 750 mining jobs and 1,500 spinoff jobs in related industries;
• Average annual wages and salaries in mining is $100,000;
• During a 25-year life of mining operations, Twin Metals would pay State taxes of $121 million, State royalty revenues of $156 million, Federal taxes of $225 million, Federal royalty revenues of $227 million and generate an additional $3.0 billion dollars in support of public education.
I suppose nothing will prevent those who most vehemently oppose the project from questioning the projections, but these facts are not in dispute – to date, Twin Metals has invested over $550 million in the project and supported dozens of Ely area nonprofit organizations with sizable donations, the latest being a sizable donation to the Ely Senior Center to pay for the installation of a much needed new roof.
Thank you Twin Metals!
Gerald M. Tyler, CEO
Up North Jobs Inc.
Ely Area Development Association
