Nucor Challenges Big River Steel
03/19/2013 - Controversy has arisen both in Mississippi County and Little Rock concerning the proposed construction of Big River Steel's new mill south of Osceola, according to a report from the Blytheville Courier News.
Controversy has arisen both in Mississippi County and Little Rock concerning the proposed construction of Big River Steel's new mill south of Osceola, according to a report from the Blytheville Courier News. In an apparent attempt to influence legislators to vote against the upcoming project incentive funding through Amendment 82, Nucor Steel Arkansas has hired lobbyists to go to work at the capitol and sent an extensive memo to all legislators, which outlines the reasons why they believe the approval of funding for Big River would be a bad move for their company and the steel industry in Arkansas.
The Nucor memo, which representatives from Big River said was sent to all members of the Arkansas Senate and House of Representatives, begins with a note from Nucor Steel Arkansas Vice President and General Manager Sam Commella. It outlines some of the financial contributions that Nucor has made to northeast Arkansas community efforts, and says that "when the focus turns to job growth, any community would jump at the chance to get a large business that promises to employ hundreds of people. That is what makes the proposed steel mill, Big River Steel, so appealing. However, we have grave concerns that the Big River Steel project will not meet these job needs for the long haul, if ever."
To read the memo and the rest of this story, visit the Courier News website.
