At a young age, weâre often given warnings like âdonât touch; thatâs hot!â Unfortunately, we donât really learn the consequences of touching hot surfaces until we have the experience of being burned. In the case of Essar Steel Minnesota and the repeated failed attempts to develop the rich iron ore resource in Nashwauk, the Iron Range can unequivocally say we have been burned by this company and we should know better than to touch that hot surface again. I am going on record today with explicit opposition to the stateâs ongoing support of Essar and have asked my fellow Iron Rangers to join me in urging the state Executive Council â consisting of the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state auditor and secretary of state â to provide some overdue transparency to this process by thoroughly reviewing Mesabiâs lease requirements prior to the state taking any action. As elected state leaders, the Executive Council is responsible for protecting the interests of Minnesotans, who deserve real oversight over this troubled project.