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Controversy and difficulty: necessary ingredients for our modern budget stew
I’ve become a big fan of Dan Carlin, not only for his “Hardcore History,” the best history podcast in existence, but also for his “Common Sense,” a political podcast aimed at advancing an independent agenda in American politics. My following of Carlin and the blogger Andrew Sullivan are probably the biggest reasons I’ve seen my…
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Ten million Benjamins lined up for Essar’s new Range mine?
If it’s Friday afternoon on the Iron Range, some distant corporation must be quietly releasing an extremely important piece of news in a highly controlled manner. Folks ’round here just call this Miller Time. The Hibbing Daily Tribune reports today that “foreign media outlets” are reporting that Essar Steel Minnesota has secured $1 billion in…
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Magnetation explores using Essar’s Itasca Co. rail line
While there remains economic questions about Essar Steel’s ability to deliver on a full iron mine and steel mill on Minnesota’s Iron Range, there is a glimmer of possibility that the massive public investment in the project won’t be for naught. Magnetation, Inc., the relatively low-budget iron ore scavenging operation that is extracting ore from…
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Essar environmental appeal, cont.
This is the rundown on yesterday’s appeal from an environmental group regarding Essar Steel’s proposed Nashwauk mine/steel mill.
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Enviro appeal to Essar permits reaches court
A St. Paul based group was hoping to derail the permits for the proposed Essar Steel project near Nashwauk in appeals court this morning. (St. Paul Legal Ledger) I’ll post an update when I know more. I wouldn’t bet money that they succeeded.
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Itasca OKs Essar land sale
WDIO is reporting that the Itasca County Board has approved a $2 million, 4,000-acre land sale to Essar Steel for its proposed mine and steel-making facility in Nashwauk. UPDATE: Business North has more.
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Essar: Nashwauk project on track … for real
Some clarification from the Sault (Ontario, Canada) Star on yesterday’s Essar story. Everything is on track again. Nice to know that Canadians are also punchy about this project. Essar Steel Ltd., parent company of Essar Steel Algoma Inc., wants to set the record straight on its massive Essar Steel Minnesota project. Media reports out of…
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Lawmaker: Essar plans are consistent
The Hibbing Daily Tribune talked to Rep. Tom Anzelc (DFL-Balsam Township) who explains that Essar’s description of their timeline and business plan is consistent with what they told him last year when they bought the previously named Minnesota Steel project. Essentially, Essar is trying to create vertical integration in their North American operations, mining and…
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Essar CEO: Company is committed to Range project
On Friday, Essar Steel again reiterated plans to continue with its planned integrated mine and steel facility in Nashwauk in this Mike Jennings story for the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Essar’s North American CEO Madhu Vuppuluri says that the dirt work will continue on site this year, despite the financing delay that is holding up plant…
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Essar remains focused on Range project, despite continued questions
The Duluth News Tribune joins in analyzing those cryptic comments from the chairman of the Essar Group in that Indian newspaper. The question is how Essar Steel can finance a project the size of their proposed Nashwauk mine and steel mill in this economy. The company remains insistent that they are building the project. I’ll…
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Paper: Iron Range site work continues for Essar Steel
The Hibbing Daily Tribune is following up on the questions raised about Essar Steel’s new Nashwauk mine and steel mill. An Essar official recently told an Indian business publication that the project was “on hold.” However, the Tribune story says that local site work continues and it seems no one has been told anything but…
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Range paper reports on conflicting Essar Steel statements
The dog has been wagged. The Hibbing Daily Tribune is reporting on the Essar Steel quotes from the same Hindu Business Line story that I cited on Tuesday. The story quotes Essar’s top official saying that a project in southeastern India was going forward because North American projects were on hold until steel demand is…
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Essar officials indicate Nashwauk plant on hold
The top official for Essar Steel told The Hindu Business Line that their U.S. and Caribbean mining and steel projects were on hold until “some clarity emerges on the demand.” This includes the Essar Steel Minnesota project near Nashwauk. That’s reasonably consistent with what they’ve been telling U.S. media, but a good deal more stark…
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Dirt work at Essar Steel on the Range
Lee Bloomquist has posted video and and update on the Essar Steel Minnesota project near Nashwauk at the Iron Range Resources blog “Rangeviews.” The information matches the media reports seen over the past week, but it’s interesting to see the actual dirt work going on. Gov. Tim Pawlenty told reporters when he was in town…
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Reports: Essar forging ahead
Word up north is that Essar Steel Minnesota is proceeding with plans to build a mine and eventually a steel mill near Nashwauk on Minnesota’s Iron Range. This, despite financing problems that are delaying the next phase of construction. The Star Tribune had a story today. The interesting observation to me is that Essar CEO…