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Capitol View®
Catharine Richert

NRCC targets Nolan on Minntac, Keetac layoffs

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Republicans in Washington are targeting DFL 8th District U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan over recent taconite plant closure announcements in Mountain Iron and Keewatin.

Some Minnesota politicians are blaming a glut of steel supplies and the steady decline of prices over the last few months.

But the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which made Nolan's district a top target in 2014, says Nolan's recent vote for a budget proposal sponsored by 5th District DFL Rep. Keith Ellison demonstrates he's against the steel industry.

That's because Ellison's budget proposal, which was voted down on the U.S. House floor, includes a tax on carbon emissions. The NRCC contends such a tax would hurt the steel industry.

"With his support of extreme environmental policies that will devastate the steel industry and send jobs overseas, Rick Nolan has declared war on steel producers and workers," said  NRCC spokesman Zach Hunter.

But Nolan has many times supported U.S. Steel operations in Minnesota.

Most recently, he met with White House officials along with other members of the Minnesota delegation to argue against what they say is illegal dumping of foreign steel on the U.S. market.

"The heart of the matter is that the process of enforcing our trade policies and agreements against the illegal dumping of foreign steel into our marketplace is broken," Nolan said in a statement after U.S. Steel announced it would idle its plant near Mountain Iron.

"It’s ineffective. It takes too long. It’s full of loopholes that allow horrific damage to be done before any action can be taken."