IRON RANGE PROJECT PERHAPS BLOCKED

Governor Pawlenty announced over the weekend that he may not support a new taconite to steel project after all. Indian company Essar Global had announced last week that it had bought Itasca County taconite operation Minnesota Steel and was going to build a new $1.6-Billion dollar plant. Part of the deal included state bonding money for infrastructure. Pawlenty said he'd learned that Essar was also doing business with Iran, a terrorist state. Governor Pawlenty said actions by Iranian groups or individuals have killed American soldiers and other innocent people and until the matters are resolved to the full satisfaction of he and the US government, he would oppose any state assistance.