The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Minnesota’s leading small business advocacy organization, sent a letter to Representative Pete Stauber in support of H.J. Res. 140, which would overturn the Department of the Interior’s Public Land Order (PLO) 7917. This PLO instituted the Biden Administration’s January 2023 mining ban on over 225,000 acres in the Superior National Forest.

“Mining is the backbone and main driver of the Iron Range,” said Rick Christenson, NFIB Member and Owner of RC Fabricators Inc. in Hibbing, MN. “Small businesses like mine are facing a tough economic environment and would benefit significantly if H.J. Res. 140 is passed. If Minnesota wants more economic opportunities, the mining ban must be cancelled.”

The PLO limited the Duluth Complex and cancelled multiple important mining and extraction plans. NFIB supports repealing this burdensome rule and other rules that reduce economic opportunities and increase costs for small businesses.

NFIB represents approximately 300,000 small and independent businesses across the United States, including nearly 10,000 in the state of Minnesota.

Read the FULL letter here.