Both projects are located in Minnesota's Iron Range region, which has a long history of mining taconite ore for steel production.

Utility Minnesota Power has proposed a pilot project to state regulators in which it would help the region’s iron and taconite mines acquire heavy-duty electric vehicles to help shrink their carbon footprint.

Steel reduced operations at Minntac in Mountain Iron, the largest taconite operation on the Minnesota’s Iron Range, starting May 10.

President Trumpov’s steel tariffs were popular on the Iron Range, long a Democratic stronghold, where they provided a boost to the taconite mines.

Employers, from the tech hub downtown to the taconite mines up north, say qualified workers are turning down jobs because they cannot find affordable child care.