US Caterpillar jobs bouyed by Australian Roy Hill iron mine and US Ex-Im

(Herald Review, 15 November 2013, Decatur) After a year as gloomy as the bottom of a mineshaft, Caterpillar Inc. woke up to a bright ray of sunshine Thursday. The U.S. Export-Import Bank wants to say “yes” to making a $694 million loan that will help support more than 3,000 jobs, including hundreds in Decatur. The Washington, D.C.-based bank is the official export credit agency of the nation and steps in to aid American businesses hunting big overseas orders. The $694 million in financing will enable the controversial Roy Hill iron ore mine in Australia to buy boatloads of Caterpillar mining equipment, especially the giant off-road trucks, the world’s biggest, built at its Decatur factory.