Duluth News Tribune
Ida Rukavina
August 25, 2022
https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/opinion/columns/local-view-minnesotas-mines-can-lead-fight-against-climate-change-if-we-let-them

Northeastern Minnesota has an opportunity to become a major player in the global fight against climate change. In fact, Minnesota families could be poised to build a thriving future right here on the Iron Range as a result of the sweeping climate legislation signed last week by President Joe Biden.

Our region is home to one of the largest deposits of minerals needed to make the conversion to a clean-energy future. The iron, copper, nickel, cobalt, and other critical minerals under the ground in northern Minnesota can and should play a significant role in making the infrastructure, batteries, wind turbines, solar modules, electric vehicles, and other renewable-energy technologies needed to curb the effects of climate change.

On the other hand, those opportunities might be lost or go somewhere else if the president’s own agencies continue to make seemingly politically motivated and shortsighted decisions that prevent Minnesota critical-minerals projects from even being considered through environmental review.

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