REGIONAL— North Country lawmakers are challenging a bid by Republican Sen. Jason Rarick to bring portions of Carlton and Pine Counties under the umbrella of the Taconite Assistance Area (TAA), which benefits from mining tax revenues.
The TAA, funded by mining production taxes, supports infrastructure and community development projects. The boundaries were established to include Iron Range counties with active mining operations. Carlton and Pine counties had no such activity at the time the TAA was created and therefore weren’t included.
Rarick’s proposal is tied to upcoming mining expansion and would add three school districts in Carlton County and one in Pine County to the TAA.
“The intention is that as the Talon mine comes up into operation, begins mining, and the state starts receiving taxes from that operation, that these school districts would be then included, to receive monies,” said Sen. Rarick.
However, the proposal has met strong opposition from Iron Range legislators, including Democrats Rep. Dave Lislegard and Sen. Grant Hauschild. Lislegard criticized the bill for potentially diverting funds from the Iron Range to districts not currently within the TAA. Lislegard called into question Rarick’s justification for the proposal, since the proposed Talon mine is located in Aitkin County, with only a portion of its leases extending into Carlton County.
Lislegard, who serves as the Chair of the Property Tax Division in the Minnesota House, expressed his determination to block the bill, stating it will not be considered while he is in office.
“I spent my career fighting for the core Iron Range and so it’s who I am and so what I’m going to continue to do while I’m in this seat,” Lislegard said. “As God as my witness, this will not get a hearing.”
Republican Sen. Rob Farnsworth of Hibbing also voiced opposition to the bill.
“While 20 percent of Talon’s leases are in Carlton County, Talon officials have told me they have found ‘no significant mineralization’ yet,” Farnsworth said. “Until we have a better idea of the mineral reserves in that county, this bill is premature and doesn’t have my support.”
Farnsworth didn’t rule out expanding the TAA as developments warrant as he also took a thinly-veiled swipe at Rarick’s more vocal critics.
“Expanding the TAA, like we did for portions of Aitkin County last year, is a discussion we need to have because ultimately, the expansion of mining in Minnesota is a good thing,” Farnsworth said. “Schools across the state are struggling with expensive mandates from last session. Grandstanding by legislators on this issue only drives a partisan wedge on the Range that is not helpful.”
Rarick acknowledged the concerns but expressed hope for ongoing dialogue.
The Iron Mining Association issued a statement underscoring the importance of iron mining to the region, state, and country, highlighting the industry’s contributions to public schools across Minnesota through the School Trust Lands. The association stressed the sector’s commitment to reinvesting in local communities and supporting the state’s education system.