[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 23, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CLIFFS NATURAL RESOURCES--170 YEARS OF MINING

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RICHARD M. NOLAN

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 23, 2017

  Mr. NOLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a significant milestone 
achieved by a great American company and one of the largest employers 
in my district, Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. In 2017, Cliffs is 
celebrating its 170th year as an independent mining company 
specializing in the extraction and processing of iron ore--or taconite 
as it is known on Minnesota's Mesabi Iron Range.
   Cliffs Natural Resources was founded in 1847 in Cleveland, Ohio and 
first began operating on the Mesabi Iron Range in 1905 at the former 
Crosby Mine located near Nashwauk, Minnesota. Today, Cliffs is the 
oldest metals and mining company traded on the New York Stock Exchange 
and the largest independent producer of iron ore pellets in the United 
States. As a company that was founded prior to the industrial 
revolution, Cliffs has weathered the ups and downs of the American 
economy and the cyclical nature of the steel business for 170 years. 
This achievement is nothing short of remarkable.
   Throughout its long history, Cliffs has been an integral supplier of 
raw materials to the domestic steel industry, providing the iron ore 
used in the production of steel that supports our American way of life 
and provides for the defense of this great country. Cliffs stands at 
the very foundation of our steel industry and America's manufacturing 
economy.
   Just as notable is Cliffs' commitment to Northeastern Minnesota. 
Overall Cliffs employs approximately 2,900 people in the United States, 
with over 1,700 family-sustaining jobs across its three Minnesota iron 
ore operations--United Taconite, Northshore Mining Company and Hibbing 
Taconite. In 2016, Cliffs' economic impact in the state of Minnesota 
was nearly $900 million. Furthermore, Cliffs has shown itself to be a 
tremendous supporter of its home communities, with the company and its 
employees contributing over $575,000 to charitable organizations in 
Minnesota last year alone.
   The domestic iron ore and steel industries have confronted grave 
challenges in recent years as historic levels of illegally-dumped steel 
flooded U.S. shores. These trade law violations led to the idling of 
iron ore mines, steel mills and the lay-off of thousands of workers, 
including 2,000 Minnesota iron ore miners. In 2015, at the height of 
the steel import crisis, I found a friend and partner in Cliffs' 
Chairman, President and CEO, Mr. Lourenco Goncalves. This was not the 
first trade-induced steel disaster that Cliffs had endured and Mr. 
Goncalves understood that it would take the support and engagement of 
the White House to fully address and remedy the threat posed by record 
levels of illegal steel imports. Lourenco pledged to me that, if the 
federal government would commit to prosecuting the trade cases to the 
full extent of our U.S. trade laws, he would bring back workers at 
Cliffs' idled Minnesota mines. In conjunction with Minnesota's other 
elected officials, we were able to capture the attention of President 
Obama's Administration, resulting in tariffs and duties assessed in 
excess of 500 percent on steel products from certain countries, namely 
China. Mr. Goncalves followed through on his commitment to put nearly 
1,000 Minnesota miners back to work and it was my pleasure to join 
Cliffs in August of 2016 as the company broke ground on a $75 million 
capital investment in new pellet-making capabilities at United Taconite 
in Forbes, Minnesota.
   I commend Cliffs Natural Resources, Mr. Goncalves and all of Cliffs' 
employees for stewarding Cliffs through the latest challenging chapter 
in your company's long and storied history. This 170-year anniversary 
stands as a testament to the hard work and dedication of past and 
present Cliffs' employees, from haul truck drivers and millwrights to 
the company's most senior executives. I am pleased to recognize the 
monumental contributions of this great company, both to the communities 
of Minnesota's Iron Range as well as to the prosperity and defense of 
the United States. In closing, I extend my best wishes for the 
continued success of Cliffs Natural Resources.

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