Revitalizing the Iron Range

For an area built around mining, the loss of thousands of jobs over the past two decades, due to mine closures and equipment efficiency improvements, has led to hard times.

Young people have left the area, schools have closed and businesses have failed.  Opportunities to earn a good living and enjoy a rural quality of life have faded.

The Birch Lake Project promises to significantly boost Iron Range employment with an estimated 550 long-term, high-paying jobs and to generate substantial tax and royalty revenues for schools, the local communities and the state over the life of the mines.