Tester Pushes Biden Administration to Support Workers Impacted by Layoffs at Sibanye-Stillwater Mine

In letter to Secretaries of Labor, Agriculture, and Commerce, Senator urges Administration to make federal assistance available to workers who lost their jobs due to Russian dumping of palladium into the American market

Following Sibanye-Stillwater's announcement last week that the company would be undergoing a restructuring that includes layoffs at its palladium mine in Montana, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today urged the Biden Administration to provide federal assistance to miners and communities impacted by the layoffs. In a letter to Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Tester urged the Departments to maximize the availability of federal initiatives designed to support those affected by the layoffs, which were caused by Russian dumping of palladium into the American market.

"Late last week, Sibanye-Stillwater announced significant layoffs at its palladium mine in Montana because Russian dumping is severely depressing the price of palladium," Tester wrote. "This is devastating news for many Montana families, the communities surrounding the mine, and local businesses. In the coming weeks, it is critically important that your agencies work to maximize availability of federal initiatives designed to support the affected workers and communities… I stand ready to work with you to support the local workforce and help the region rebound."

Tester went on to identify the specific programs that can be made available to those impacted by the layoffs, including the Montana Department of Labor and Industry for National Dislocated Worker Assistance program and others through the Economic Development Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.

Tester has long fought to rebuild domestic manufacturing and onshore supply chains to reduce America's dependence on foreign adversaries like China and Russia. In February, Tester sent a letter to Department of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expressing concerns that domestic critical mineral production at places like Sibanye-Stillwater was being curbed by reliance on foreign adversaries.

Within hours of Sibanye-Stillwater's announcement, Tester personally spoke with Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyamo pressing him on the need for the Biden Administration to support the impacted workers. And as part of his continued work to defend good-paying Montana jobs, Tester introduced a bill last week to indefinitely ban Russian importation of palladium.

Tester also urged the Biden Administration to put American workers first and apply a tax credit to American mining and the production of domestic minerals. In a letter to the Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, the Senator called on the Biden Administration to follow Congressional intent as written in the Inflation Reduction Act and apply the 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit to the production of critical minerals.

You can watch Tester's full statement on the Sibanye-Stillwater mine layoffs HERE.

You can read the full text of the Senator's letter HERE.