ST. PAUL, Minn., January 14, 2022 – Twin Metals Minnesota Chief Regulatory Officer Julie Padilla participated in a joint forum this week hosted by the Congressional Western Caucus and House Committee on Natural Resources Republicans in Washington, D.C., to discuss the critical role of mineral development in northern Minnesota to ensure our nation’s transition to a clean energy future, create American jobs and bolster national security.

Led by Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Vice Chair and Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (AR-04) and Vice Chair Pete Stauber (MN-08), the forum convened Congressional representatives and thought leaders from across the United States. Padilla was joined by leaders representing St. Louis County, Minn., the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49, Jobs for Minnesotans, the National Mining Association, the American Exploration and Mining Association and Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions.

“Twin Metals has invested over $530 million in exploration, drilling, environmental studies and engineering to deliver a mine plan that reflects our commitment to be a world-class, 21^st century mine,” said Padilla during the forum. “The mine plan we submitted to federal and state agencies in late 2019 will use state-of-the-art technologies to maximize environmental protection and demonstrates how mining is moving forward in this country. We need to start thinking about the future of mining, not the past.”

Padilla continued, “The responsible development of the Duluth Complex in northern Minnesota, the world’s largest known undeveloped copper-nickel deposit, is critical to advancing several of the Biden Administration’s priorities, including combatting climate change, bolstering national security, shoring up domestic supply chains and creating thousands of American jobs. The Duluth Complex contains approximately 95% of U.S. nickel resources, 88% of its cobalt, 75% of its platinum group metals and about a third of its copper.”

For more than a decade, Twin Metals has worked to develop and propose a modern underground mining project that would responsibly secure the critical minerals needed to supply a green energy future for the United States. Twin Metals is committed to the communities of northeast Minnesota and looks forward to continuing to advance its proposed project through the multi-year scoping, environmental review and permitting processes.