[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 125 (Friday, September 29, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1947]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO CLEVELAND-CLIFFS (CCI)

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                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 29, 2006

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise toay to honor an important industry 
in my district that has been responsible for creating thousands of jobs 
in Michigan and for the settlement of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. On 
October 2nd, Cleveland-Cliffs, CCI, will celebrate the milestone of 50 
years of iron ore pellet production and 500 million tons of iron ore 
pellets produced.
  Even in its earliest days, Cleveland-Cliffs' history was 
characterized by pioneering risk-taking. Cleveland-Cliffs brought 
electrical power to Michigan's Upper Peninsula by introducing electric 
haulage equipment at the Cleveland Lake Mine in 1892. Cleveland-Cliffs 
created the first geological department for an iron mining company in 
the Lake Superior region in lshpeming, Michigan in 1900. In 1910, the 
company built the region's first hydroelectric plant.
  However, it was not until the middle of the 20th century that 
Cleveland-Cliffs made what is perhaps the company's most valuable 
contribution, iron ore pellets. In the 1940s, it became apparent that 
the iron ore of the Marquette area that Cleveland-Cliffs had relied 
upon were being depleted. While the Marquette Iron Range still had 
millions of tons of leaner ores, a method had not yet been invented for 
making this leaner ore usable in blast furnaces. Once more, Cleveland-
Cliffs exhibited leadership and innovation. Partnering with the U.S. 
Bureau of Mines, Cleveland-Cliffs researchers developed a technique for 
concentrating low-grade iron ore and pelletizing it to provide high-
quality iron ore pellets for use in steel production in the company's 
blast furnaces.
  In 1956, CCI put this innovative technique into practice, producing 
its first iron ore pellets at the Eagle Mills pellet plant near 
Negaunee, Michigan, just west of Marquette. While these first pellets 
were crude by today's standards, the pellets could be used in the blast 
furnaces to make a high grade steel and they opened the way for the 
development of the pellet making operations of today.
  The process of pelletizing low-grade iron ore revolutionized the iron 
ore business. Without this process, thousands of jobs in Michigan might 
never have been created and Marquette County would have missed out on 
billions of direct economic impact from these mines. Today, Cleveland-
Cliffs is the largest producer of Iron ore pellets in North America.
  This year, Cleveland-Cliffs reached another historic milestone. 
Celebrating the 500 millionth ton total is an important tribute to not 
only the Cleveland-Cliffs company, but also to the working men and 
women who have kept the pelletizing and mining operations running 
smoothly and productively over the past 50 years.
  Mr. Speaker, from the beginning of its operations in Michigan's Upper 
Peninsula to its innovation of the iron ore pelletizing process to the 
present day, Cleveland-Cliffs has demonstrated leadership and a forward 
thinking trailblazing spirit. As this great company marks this 
important occasion, I would ask that you and the U.S. House of 
Representatives join me in saluting the past and present employees of 
Cleveland-Cliffs, CCI's entrepreneurial spirit, their steady growth, 
their innovations, and their contributions to the economy of the Great 
Lakes region.

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