Friends and neighbors –
We had a double whammy of bad news for the northland this week. First, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled against Huber Engineered Woods and their proposed $440 million mill project in Cohasset. Yesterday Huber announced they were leaving Minnesota entirely, abandoning their $450 million project.
I had a call with Huber early Thursday morning. They explained their decision was about much more than just the Court verdict. They also had concerns about the regulatory and political climate here and the prospect of prolonged litigation.
This BS has got to end. I don’t blame Huber one bit for their decision, but Minnesota cannot continue to kill businesses and jobs time after time after time after time. Democrat leadership and this war on businesses are going to be the death of us if we don’t change how we do things.
I had a few more things to say about the decision. You can read my full statement here: https://www.mnsenaterepublicans.com/eichorn-farnsworth-statements-on-huber-dropping-plans-for-osb-plant/
NOW Democrats are interested in Nuclear power?
Republicans have been staunch advocates for an energy future that is clean, reliable, AND affordable. When Democrats passed their blackout bill, we offered a number of amendments to protect Minnesota taxpayers. Many of those amendments emphasized the importance of nuclear energy in our future mix. They were all rejected.
This week, the Senate Environment Committee gave a hearing to a Republican nuclear energy bill. Senate File 1171 would require Minnesota to complete a study evaluating the potential costs, benefits, and impacts of advanced nuclear technology reactor power generation in Minnesota.
It is not much, but it is a step in the right direction. The question is whether or not Democrats conducted this hearing for show. Stay tuned.
Contact me
If you have any questions or comments about the issues we are working on, please contact me anytime. My email is sen.justin.eichorn@senate.mn, or you can call me at 651-296-7079.
Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook: https://www.fb.com/SenatorJustinEichorn.
It is a privilege to serve you!