Can’t ore float down the Mississippi?
I’m sure it can. These are what the biz guys refer to as “legacy” plants.
How viable is the Mississippi up there in Minnesota for heavy ore transport, and is there the infrastructure from the mines to the river to handle it? (I don’t know). Add to that, what hoops would an existing plant have to jump through to get approval from the EPA to build a new plant in the south, and let’s not forget all the moaning, groaning and outright crying of the unions for moving the jobs.
Easier and cheaper to shutter the plant.