A cheap swipe by Range’s biggest paper

Iron Range residents who realize we are in a battle for the very economic survival of the region don’t need to hear from elected officials that they need more details on several mining projects. What they need to hear are strong words of support for those initiatives.

But, unfortunately, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is being far, far too meek in her general support for some resource-based projects, calling for “more details” on them.

In a Mesabi Daily News story last Sunday, Klobuchar said regarding the PolyMet copper/nickel/precious metals project slated for the former LTV Mining site near Aurora and Hoyt Lakes: “Support economic projects, yes … but I want to see more details.”

In the same story regarding the Franconia Minerals non-ferrous project at Birch Lake near Babbitt, Klobuchar said: “Open to the project … but want to see more details.”

Those remarks sound like something that would be voiced by a spokesperson for any of several environmental groups that continually pour money and effort into trying to block darn near every mining-related venture that comes along.

“Support …. but.”

No, no, no, no. It should be, “Support, period.”

Let me stress that I’ve lived on the Iron Range my whole life. I love it. I will live here the rest of my life and will never stop working to improve our communities and the opportunities for my three young sons. I would like them to be able to stay here if they want to.

I must also stress that I do not oppose mineral mining on the East Range. If it’s viable, I’m all for it. This is a mining area after all. But when you have the editor of the Range’s largest paper refusing to consider all sides of issues you have an culture where consultants, developers and lobbyists are given a blank check to promise jobs with no risk of bad ideas being exposed. Again, I don’t mean to imply that the mineral mining projects of the east Range are bad (frankly, they may well prove viable and they don’t take nearly as much public money as other projects; Polymet hasn’t taken any). However, the climate behind closed doors and in sparsely attended public meetings on the Iron Range is rapidly becoming bad AND corrupt. And the Mesabi Daily News, with its 1907-style boosterism and dagger-journalism is helping it stay that way.

A public official SHOULD gather all information before making a decision. Especially on issues that take time to develop. When the Range’s largest and most-read paper chastises anyone who shows due diligence it simply forces state leaders to either reject the problems of the Iron Range or give the Range lip service, neither of which helps us become competitive in the world economy.

The biggest barrier to modernizing the Iron Range isn’t environmental groups, as the MDN editorial suggests, but poor planning and misinformation propegated to our people who only want opportunity and growth for our region. This editorial is a cheap swipe that makes the Range look petty and difficult to everyone outside the walls of the Mesabi Daily News or the well-decorated offices of those who profit off economic development dollars.

The Iron Range will rise again, but only after we knock down bad attitudes like what we see in this editorial.