Bands rip Stauber for working to deny first Native American from joining US Cabinet
In a letter obtained by state Sen. Jen McEwen and posted to Twitter, the Republican congressman called for the withdrawal of U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland as nominee for U.S. Secretary of Interior. 2:46 pm, Jan. 18, 2021 ×
U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, President-elect Joe Biden s nominee for the Interior Secretary, speaks after Biden announced her nomination among another round of nominees and appointees for his administration in Wilmington, Delaware, on Dec. 19. (REUTERS / Kevin Lamarque)
U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber drew the ire of Native American bands in his district late last week after they d learned he was working behind the scenes to deny the first Indigenous person nominated as a U.S. Cabinet secretary.
Residents are welcome to share their ideas and priorities at the town hall.
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Legislators from Duluth will host a virtual town hall meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 23 to discuss the 2021 legislative session. Residents can attend to share their ideas and priorities for the session and ask questions about issues important to them.
The legislators hosting the event include state Reps. Jen Schultz and Liz Olson and state Sen. Jen McEwen. The town hall is nonpartisan and will be livestreamed on Schultz and McEwen s Facebook pages.
The event will be held on Zoom (meeting ID: 943 2687 8456, password 033502). To join by phone, attendees can call 312-626-6799 and enter the meeting ID and password when prompted.
The bills face tough opposition within the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and the Republican-controlled state Senate. 5:41 pm, Jan. 14, 2021 ×
The Minnesota Capitol building pictured in 2014. (File / Forum News Service)
Several Democratic-Farmer-Labor state lawmakers and environmental groups announced a pair of bills this week seeking tougher restrictions on copper-nickel mining in Minnesota.
The Prove It First bill would require a similar mine in another state to operate and close pollution-free for a combined 20 years before permits could be awarded for a Minnesota project. The other bill would ban copper-nickel mining on state lands in the Rainy River Watershed, which is shared with the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
State lawmakers and environmental groups have unveiled a âProve it Firstâ law for introduction in the Minnesota Legislature that would require scientific proof that copper-nickel mines could safely operate and close before being permitted, sparking backlash from Iron Range mining companies and interest groups.
The legislation faces an uphill battle to gain significant traction in the Republican-led Senate or the Democrat-controlled House, which last session rejected bills aimed at new copper-nickel regulations from reaching their respective floors, and underscores the stark differences in priorities among lawmakers in the nationâs only divided state government.
DFL Duluth Sen. Jen McEwen is the lead author of the bill, which would require proof that a similar mine has operated in the U.S. for at least 10 years, and has been closed for 10 years, without pollution. A similar law was passed in neighboring Wisconsin in 1998. Lawmakers repealed it in 2017.
Opponents to copper nickel mining in Minnesota plan to introduce a bill that would require proof before permits. Specifically, that a similar mine had operated for at least 10 years and been closed for at least 10 years without causing pollution.