Walz asks U-S Steel, Cleveland Cliffs to work together to keep taconite plants open

Governor Tim Walz is urging the C-E-O’s of U-S Steel and Cleveland Cliffs to work together to ensure that over 17-hundred jobs at Hibbing Taconite and Minntac are retained long-term.The governor is a letter to the two C-E-O’s emphasizes he stands ready to help the two companies find a way forward. The governor says while Hibbing Taconite has limited access to mineable iron ore, there are sources in the immediate vicinity of both that plant and Minntac — but they’re not currently owned or leased by the operator of the mine closest to them. Walz points to U-S Steel and Cleveland Cliffs’ 100-plus years of shared history with Minnesota and says the state “needs leadership from our mining companies to work together on an approach that ensures the future success of both taconite operations.”