(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota Representative Dave Baker of Willmar says the state missed a major economic opportunity after Essar Group announced plans for a $15 billion steel mill in southeast Iowa.
The company owns the Mesabi Metallics iron ore mine on Minnesota’s Iron Range.
The Republican says high taxes, lengthy permitting and employment mandates make Minnesota less competitive with neighboring states. Baker says, “Especially when we’ve got something as rich as the Iron Range and the workers up there that are already well-trained, they know how to make steel, they know how to extract it from the ground safely. All those reasons are what made this one really stand out to me is how could we miss this one?”…