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The Tilden Mine in Marquette County will be closing down for approximately 8 weeks.
Economic factors due to COVID-19 were the reason for the temporary shutdown.
Cleveland-Cliffs, the owner of Tilden, is also temporarily shutting down Northshore Mining in Minnesota.
A small crew will be kept to maintain the facility and provide fire watch, the remaining 700 employees will be laid off.
The mine hopes to re-open in July.
Northshore Mining in Minnesota, laid off approximately 370 employees, and hopes to re-open in August.
While shut down, the mine will continue to ship iron ore to honor current agreements with steel producers.
The shutdown will have ramifications for numerous industries in the U.P. including rail, shipping, natural gas and other supply chains.
Representative Sara Cambensy said “We have done a great job of keeping the virus at bay in the U.P. We still must be diligent in doing so, But not finding a way to safely operate and bring back our key industries in the state would also be a serious long-term loss.”
