St. Paul, MN— State Representative Spencer Igo, R-Wabana Township, issued the following statement today after news that Huber Engineered Woods was canceling the construction of an 800,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Cohasset. The facility was expected to provide the area with more than 150 jobs and would have been a significant economic boon for the Northland.
“Today’s news is a sad ending to what was initially a bipartisan effort to bring more than 150 jobs and significant investment in the communities of northeast Minnesota,” said Igo. “Unfortunately, since signing the bill into law, Governor Walz and his administration have provided zero support for this project as it has come under attack from a small number of activists that would prefer to see this project sacrificed in the name of radical environmentalism instead of letting the Northland thrive. Until Minnesota reforms its regulatory and permitting process, we can expect more businesses to choose not to invest in our state. It’s time to put Minnesota workers and our communities first.”
Igo was the chief author of legislation in 2021 that provided more than $25 million in production incentives to help secure the construction of the 800,000-square-foot wood manufacturing plant in Cohasset.
Igo continued, “Huber and the community would have been a perfect match and it was wise for them to want to invest $450 million into what I believe is the best workforce in the world. It’s a shame that it didn’t work out and I urge Governor Walz and his administration to work with us to make sure future opportunities are not lost to the state’s crushing regulatory processes. Let today’s news be the last example of this—enough is enough and we demand change.”
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