TOO.

>> WE THINK WE'RE THERE.

>> Eric: GOOD LUCK TO BOTH OF YOU.

THANKS FOR COMING ON.

>> Cathy: HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE IN IRON RANGE POLITICS, LONG A D.F.L.

STRONGHOLD REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN MAKING STEADY GAINS ON THE RANGE.

MARY LAHAMMER HAS THIS LOOK AT THE LAWMAKER MAKING HISTORY AND WHAT THE CHANGE MIGHT MEAN FOR MINING AND THE ENVIRONMENT.

>> KEEPING CANOEING, WOODS AND WATER PRISTINE IN THE NORTHLAND IS WHAT THE FRIENDS OF THE BOUNDARY WATERS ADVOCATED AT THE CAPITOL.

THE NEW REPUBLICAN CHAIR OF THE IRON ANGE RESOURCES AND REHABILITATION BOARD SAYS THEY WANT SOME OF THE SAME THINGS.

>> WHEN I WAS ELECTED CHAIR THE BOARD WHICH MAKES ME THE FIRST REPUBLICAN IN STATE HISTORY TO CHAIR THAT BOARD.

>> AND LONG HISTORY, 28 YEARS, YOU'RE THE FIRST REPUBLICAN.

>> YES.

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME.

AND I, YOU KNOW, DYNAMICS ARE CHANGING, THINGS ARE HANGING.

>> THOSE CHANGES ON THE RANGE ARE BEING NOTICED BY ENVIRONMENTALISTS.

>> WE'RE HERE HAVING A PROVE IT FIRST ADVOCACY SAY, RALLYING IN SUPPORT OF PROVE IT FIRST AIMING TO PROTECT OUR WATER FROM THE THREAT OF COPPER MINING POLLUTION.

>> HOW'S THE BILL DOING?

>> DOING WELL, COULD BE DOING BETTER.

>> THEY'VE GONE FROM A FEW SUPPORTERS TO DOZENS IN THE D.F.L.

DOMINATED LEGISLATURE BUT IRON RANGE POLITICS.

>> I'M A PROLABOR REPUBLICAN, IT HASN'T CHANGED THAT MUCH, THE PARTIES HAVE SWITCHED.

WE'RE THE BIGGEST MELTING POT IN THE MIDWEST, 43 ETHNICITIES.

WE NEED STRONG BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY BASED POLICY AND D.F.L.

ISN'T LEADING THAT ANYMORE.

I THINK YOU SEE RURAL AREAS ARE GOING A LOT MORE REPUBLICAN IN GENERAL AND I THINK YOU SEE THAT WITH THIS ISSUE BECAUSE THERE WERE PRO-COPPER MINING DEMOCRAT THAT'S RAN AND LOST.

AND SO I THINK IT'S KIND OF A BIGGER OVERALL ISSUE IN THAT.

>> LITERALLY CONTROL, THE SENATE WAS DECIDED BY TWO NORTHERN MINNESOTA SEATS WHO ARE GOING TO BE REALLY CAREFUL ON BILLS LIKE THIS.

>> I OULD PUSH BACK SLIGHTLY AND SAY THAT, YES, IT WAS DECIDED BUT IT ALSO COULD HAVE BEEN ECIDED ON HEATHER GUSTAFSON'S SEAT, IN SUBURB SEATS AND EVEN IN THE EX-USHES AREA, CLEAN WATER IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND ALSO IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA.

IT WAS A REALLY CLOSE RACE AND OBVIOUSLY A HUGE RACE.

SENATOR BAKK RETIRED AND THAT WAS A 30--YEAR INCUMBENT THAT DISAPPEARED.

>> MY HOPE SENATOR HAUSCHILD WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PROVE IT FIRST, HIS BACKYARD IS POLY MET, TWIN METALS, THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST MINERAL RICH PARTS OF THE STATE.

>> REPRESENTATIVE IGO IS FOLLOWING A NUMBER OF LEGENDARY BOARD CHAIRS MOST RECENTLY SENATORS TOMASSONI AND BAKK.

>> THESE ARE LEGENDS, QUITE HONESTLY.

>> YEAH.

>> IN STATEWIDE POLITICS, IN RANGE POLITICS.

LET'S TALK ABOUT STEPPING INTO LEGENDARY FOOTSTEPS.

>> MM-HMM, ABSOLUTELY, THE THING I ALWAYS USE MESABI IS THE NAME OF OUR IRON RANGE WHICH MEANS GIANT.

THEY ARE ALL GIANTS, THEY LEFT LEGACIES AND ACCOMPLISHED WONDERFUL THINGS FOR OUR NORTHLAND AND RANGER.

AND GETTING TO KNOW SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE I'M EXCITED TO APPLY WHAT I'VE LEARNED.

COMMISSIONER RUKAVINA, IT'S SUPER EXCITING TO WORK WITH HER, SHE CARRIES THAT LEGACY JUST LIKE HER FATHER DID.

>> WHAT WOULD TOMMY RUKAVINA SAY OF A REPUBLICAN CHAIRING THIS?

>> OOH, HE WOULD PROBABLY BE GIVING ME A VERY HARD TIME RIGHT NOW.

>> HE WOULD NOT BE HAPPY.

>> NO, HE OULDN'T BE, BUT I THINK MY POLITICS AREN'T THAT DIFFERENT.

>> I GOT IRON ORE IN MY BLOOD.

DON'T YOU LECTURE ME, YOUNG MAN, ABOUT WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON AROUND HERE.

I JUST LOVE A GOOD FIGHT.

>> THE RANGE IS CHANGING OBVIOUSLY BUT PEOPLE WANT THAT PERSON THAT FIGHTS FOR THE REGION, FOR THE EOPLE BUT WORKS TOGETHER.

SENATOR TOMASSONI WAS AN AMAZING MAN.

HE WAS THE LAST CHAIR OF THE IRRR ALONG WITH SENATOR BAKK AND WHEN I WAS FIRST WORKING FOR CONGRESSMAN STAUBER I WAS THE FIRST REPUBLICAN STAFFER ON THE RANGE IF YOU WILL BUT I HAD TO SIT IN A LOT OF MEETINGS WITH THE SENATOR, SENATOR TOMASSONI LEFT A GREAT LEGACY, HE'D GIVE ME POINTERS, CRACK JOKES, AND SAY SPENCER, GET UP THERE AND SAY YOUR TWO CENTS.

I THINK ABOUT THAT A LOT AND I DO MISS HIM TERRIBLY.

>> YOU HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.

>> THANKS.

>> YEAH, YOU DO.

>> BACK TO THE MINING INDUSTRY, WHICH HAS LONG HAD SUPPORT FROM IRON RANGE LAWMAKERS.

>> WE ALREADY HAVE PROVEN IT AND WE CAN DO IT HERE SAFELY AND CONSUMER.

IT'S JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO WE MASSED THE CLEAN ENERGY 2040, THERE IS NO WAY WE CAN REACH THAT OAL UNLESS WE MINE MINERALS IN MINNESOTA.

AND SOMETHING 'LL BE SAYING TO THOSE GROUPS IS IF YOU WANT THOSE THINGS YOU SHOULD ADVOCATE FOR PROVE IT FIRST IN INDONESIA, IN CHINA, IN AFRICA, I'M TELLING YOU RIGHT NOW THERE'S 10-YEAR-OLDS MINING COBALT AND SLAVE LABOR MINING NICKEL.

I'M NOT OKAY WITH THAT.

I'D RATHER HAVE BEST ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS IN THE WORLD AND THE WORKFORCE MINING THOSE MINERALS SAFELY AND CONSUMER IN OUR BACKYARD.

>> THERE'S NO SCIENCE THAT THIS WILL BE SAFE, ARE WE GOING TO BUILD THIS UPWARDS OF LAKE SUPERIOR?

MCEWEN GOT ELECTED, KOZLOWSKI GOT ELECTED, THESE ARE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE THREATS.

>> NO ONE LOVES THEIR ENVIRONMENT OF BETTER THAN SOMEONE THAT LIVES ON THE RANGE.

THE CLEANEST WATER IN THE STATE EXISTS IN THEIR BACKYARD.

WE'VE SET THE PRECEDENT.

WE'VE PROVEN WE CAN HAVE BOTH.

>> THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE D.F.L.

THAT ARE CONCERNED ABOUT CLEAN WATER, I THINK IT SHOULD BE A NONPARTISAN ISSUE.

I THINK PEOPLE ACROSS THE AISLE AND VOTERS ACROSS THE AISLE DEFINITELY THINK ABOUT PROTECTING OUR CLEAN WATER.

WE DO NOT YET HAVE THE SUPPORT WE FULLY NEED OBVIOUSLY TO GET IT PASSED.

IT SHOWS IT'S AN ISSUE THAT PEOPLE ARE A