St. Paul, MN—State Representative Spencer Igo, R-Wabana Township, issued the following statement regarding the Biden Administration’s announcement that a Memorandum of Understanding to source critical minerals needed for electric car batteries has been signed with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia.
“This week’s move from the Biden Administration is the latest example of their anti-mining and anti-American worker policies,” said Igo. “It is deeply immoral for President Biden to side with foreign governments that have little environmental protections and employ child-slave labor in their mining operations over the hardworking men and women of the Iron Range. President Biden gave a lot of lip service to miners during the 2020 election claiming that he would support us. Unfortunately, it was just that—lip service. There is little doubt that President Biden is the most anti-mining president in American history. It’s time for him put American workers and American interests first.”
Since taking office in January 2021, the Biden Administration has taken several steps to destroy the mining industry on the Iron Range. Including killing the Twin Metals project by revoking long held mineral leases, publishing a report from the United State Forestry Service that could lead to a 20 year ban on mining in the area, and working to end the Polymet project.
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