In the early 19th century,
the Marquette Iron Range in
Negaunee, 18 miles northeast of
Marquette, was discovered by the
first settlers. The plentiful deposits of iron ore expanded the small
village and caused more immigrants to flood to the Marquette
County area. Since then, the traditions of those days are few in
between. But for some, mining is
still a way of life. And when the
Empire Mine shut down on Aug.
28, 2016, many miners struggled
to make ends meet.
With the Cleveland Cliffs Inc.
potentially looking at reopening
the mine, the community might
see some changes in the near future.
The company is conducting
a thorough study on the Empire Mine and looking to see if
it will be a good option to move
forward, but they’re also scouting an area in Minnesota to look
at whether it would be more efficient to construct a new mine
altogether, said Patricia Persico,
director of Corporate Communications of Cliffs.
The company’s CEO Lourenco Goncalves conversed with
Marquette County back in February and now it’s about the
“feasibility stage” and looking
at the long-term effects, Persico
said.
“The existing mine is vital and
when you move to that phase,
there’s a lot of operational things
you have to look at to be able to
restart something,” Persico said.
“Economically, is it feasible and
what [would] you be capable of
doing? It’s not something you
can make a decision and the next
month you’re operating again.”
As a company, it’s important to
clearly define what the pros and
cons are so it not only benefits
the community, but is it efficient
for the company as well, Persico
continued. The decision, which
date has yet to be announced,
is going through an evaluation
process at the moment, she said.
The news has prompted lots of
discussions in the area and the
decision to move forward with
the Empire Mine would produce
jobs and increase tax revenues,
she added.
“We’ve been really appreciative of the support extended by
Gov. Snyder’s administration
and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. People
have really stepped forward and
we’ve had great discussions,”
Persico said.
When the mine shut down, it
costed the region over 300 jobs
that paid $68,000-$70,000 a
year, said Amy Clickner, Chief
executive officer of Lake Superior Community Partnership. The
economic impact would be huge
for this region not only for miners but for other businesses that
helped support the industry with
supplies from basic essentials
such as pens and paper to tires,
Clickner said.
Restarting the Empire Mine
would reverse the negative impact the shutdown produced back
in 2016 and maintain stability in
the area moving forward, Clickner said. The decision would also
bring many families back to the
area, she said.
“It’s a significant event if we’re
fortunate enough to get it and
it’s the biggest job on my desk,”
Clickner added.
For miners like Marvin Erickson, reopening the Empire Mine
would boost the economy and
bring jobs back to the area, Erickson said. What most people
don’t realize about mining is that
it’s a difficult way to make a living, Erickson noted. The pension
is great but it’s a seasonal type of
work, he said.
“It’s a tough life. Pay and benefits are good and everything but
they work a lot of hours and [it’s]
shift work. A lot of people don’t
see that and never experience it,”
Erickson said.
The downside to mining is that
there’s lots of ups and downs
where you face unemployment
more than other industries do,
Erickson said. With mining,
employees are not guaranteed
a certain amount of hours like
most jobs but it’s a way of life for
many locals. Reopening the mine
would help produce an “influx”
to the flow of the economy, he
added.
“I’m hopeful and wondering if
there’s a real attempt by the company to come back, or if they’re
seeing if they can benefit more
by staying in Minnesota,” Erickson said. “I’m waiting to see how
it’s going to play out.”
