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| Date: | February 1, 2011 | | Contact Name: | Chris Van Guilder | | Contact Phone: | 651-296-1388 | | Contact Email: | christopher.vanguilder@senate.mn | | For Immediate Release | |
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| Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus Thanks Hibbing Community |
To: Residents and business leaders of Hibbing and surrounding area
From: Senate Deputy Majority Leader Geoff Michel (R-Edina)
Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen (R-Alexandria)
Re: Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus Thanks Hibbing Community
On behalf of the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus and our fellow committee members, we wish to thank all those who participated in and attended our joint committee hearing in Hibbing on Friday, January 28.
The key to a healthy democracy is an active and engaged citizenry, and the Hibbing community should be proud of their contribution. Over two hundred people attended the hearing, anxious to discuss and hear from experts how we can work together to improve the business climate, address permitting and regulatory concerns, and focus on issues specific to the mining and forestry industries. Thanks to the hospitality of Hibbing Community College, Hibbing Taconite and Sammy’s Pizza, we had a venue and the environment to successfully facilitate this discussion.
It is always a pleasure to visit and work with the people who make Minnesota one of the best places to live-our job creators. We especially thank those that took time out of their schedules to share with us their views on how we can create a better business environment. Hibbing Taconite welcomed us into their facility and gave us a tour of the mining operation. We cannot express enough how thankful we are to the hardworking men and women that operate the facility and others like it throughout Greater Minnesota. During the committee, we heard from representatives of area cities, city councils, chambers of commerce and regional industries, and we thank you for your time, your input and your testimony.
One of our main goals as legislators and policy makers is to ensure a better, brighter future for our children. We want the next generation of entrepreneurs, teachers and innovators to grow up in a state with more opportunity for success than the previous one. Most importantly, we want those individuals to grow up, start a family and prosper right here in Minnesota. During our hearing two dedicated students, Katie McLaughlin and Thomas Seeba, shared their desire to stay in their community and help grow or even one day start a business. We thank them for their voice and their participation. These students, and the many others we visited with, showed again why Hibbing and Minnesota has an opportunity for a bright and prosperous future.
Lastly, we want to issue a special thank you to the following people: Susan Degnan, Hibbing Community College; Craig Pagel, Iron Mining Association; Frank Ongaro, Mining Minnesota; Tony Sertich, IRRRB; and Wayne Brandt, Minnesota Forest Industries-without the dedication and hard work of these individuals, our event would not have been possible.
In a time when families and businesses are struggling, it’s important that we as a community and a state remain intensely focused on getting our private sector economy moving again. Greater Minnesota is home to our state’s largest and most productive industries. It is imperative that we do everything we can to take advantage of the opportunities for economic growth in this area. Through reforming the permitting and regulatory process and improving the overall business climate, we can and will unleash the mining, forestry and other industries to do what they do best: create jobs and improve the quality of life in northern Minnesota.
Thank you,
Senate Deputy Majority Leader Geoff Michel (R-Edina)
Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen (R-Alexandria)
