ST. PAUL – U. S. Steel announced today it will be idling Keewatin Taconite. The facility employs 412 people. Representative Tom Anzelc (DFL-Balsam Township) released the following statement today regarding the announcement:
“I felt for some time that eventually the global market, the cyclical natural of iron and steel, and the unfair high level of imports, and unfair trade policies would affect the Mesabi. After discussion with several mining companies, I worried 2015 and 2016 would be extremely difficult for the Range. My concerns were realized starting with the idling of Magentation Plant One, now KeeTac.
“Keewatin is my home mine. It is where I worked as a young man. But like all Rangers, we are going to be strong, resilient, and hopeful that this is a temporary idling; that we will recover production and the jobs will come back.
“From a state perspective, my job is to see that after the layoffs begin on May 13, the state will respond rapidly with the unemployment benefits to which these workers are entitled. I will urge the Minnesota congressional delegation to address unfair trade policies and unfair dumping of international steel in the domestic market place.
“Lastly, this is about Range families and Range jobs. We need to be strong and we need to help each other.”
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