It’s National Miners Day- Thank A Miner
On National Miners Day, America honors the 325,000 men and women who work in nearly 13,000 surface and underground mines across the United States. Throughout Minnesota’s history, the miners of our state have worked tirelessly to supply our state, and country, with the metals and minerals that are indispensable to our daily lives.
Mining is part of Minnesota’s history and heritage. During World War II, Minnesota’s miners labored tirelessly over 16-hour days to provide the iron ore that became the ships, aircraft, and rifles used win the war.
Today, Minnesota produces 85 percent of the iron ore mined in the United States, making Minnesota the 5th-largest state in terms of the value of minerals sold, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The iron ore industry supports more than 11,000 jobs, and constitutes the backbone of the economy in northeastern Minnesota.
But mining is not just about Minnesota’s past or present, it must be a key part of our future.
Northeastern Minnesota is home to 99 percent of this country’s known nickel resources, 88 percent of its cobalt, more than half of its platinum and palladium, and a third of the country’s copper. These deposits are some of the largest undeveloped mineral deposits in the world, and it is our responsibility to mine these resources, responsibly.
American Experiment’s research has found that doing so could create up to 4,667 direct jobs in the mining industry, which pay an average of $80,000 per year, support 4,912 indirect jobs, and 5,271 induces jobs, for a total of 14,851 jobs. Non-ferrous mining could boost Minnesota’s GDP by $5.9 billion each year, according to the economic modeling software IMPLAN, the industry standard software for economists., creating thousands of high-paying, family supporting jobs for Minnesotans throughout the state.
Take a few minutes today and thank a miner.