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1) Talon Metals has filed with Minnesota regulators to begin an environmental review process of its planned underground nickel mine located near Tamarack, Minnesota. The mine is set to supply nickel to Tesla for its batteries with the Department of Energy already providing the company with a $114 million grant to build a processing plant in North Dakota. Although this project looks like it has the green light from the Biden administration, other mines in Minnesota that could secure the raw minerals for the States, such as the Twin Metals and NewRange, are not so lucky. And, as always, although the Talon Metals has the government's support, it faces challenges from various environmental groups as well as the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Talon Metals CEO, Henri van Rooyen said that: "We do not believe that addressing climate change should come at the expense of the natural environment,” adding, “we can move to a clean energy system, protect the environment, respect tribal culture resources and self-determination, involve front line communities and working people in project approvals and create good paying union jobs. It doesn’t have to be a choice.”
2) Grupo Mexico, the owners of the mining company ASARCO, said that it legally resumed operations at its San Martin mine in 2018, after a 10 year strike, after a Mexican union submitted a petition to US labor officials over alleged worker rights violations. The US government asked the Mexican government to investigate under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade pact, coming from the request of a Mexican union and two major US labor organizations. The groups said that Grupo Mexico bargained with employees that didn't have the right to represent the union and resumed operations illegally. The company is alleging that the majority of workers voted to go back to work and withdrew support for the union. "Lifting the strike ... was a result of the free and majority decision of workers," Grupo Mexico said in the statement.