Iron deposits in Minnesota’s northeastern quadrant have given the state’s Iron Range its name and its purpose — but they’ve also set the region along the boom-and-bust roller coaster of a mining-based economy.
Minnesota’s iron ore mining industry has been hit hard by a surge in steel imports to the United States. As a result, American steel companies have curbed production, which has meant a steep drop in demand for taconite pellets from the Iron Range.
That, in turn, has led to the closure of iron ore mines and production facilities on the Iron Range.
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