Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The forgotten mill town where America’s industrial dream went to die... and the $2.5bn plan that could make it roar again (steel mill comeback)
UK Mail ^ | 9 June 2026 | SARA MCGIFF,

Posted on 06/09/2026 3:36:06 PM PDT by dennisw

Once on the brink of closure, a historic Pennsylvania steel mill is set for a multi-billion-dollar overhaul that could help revive America's struggling steel industry.

Pittsburgh was the beating heart of the industry, but that changed in the final decades of the 20th century as accelerating globalization and a rapidly changing steel business tanked the city's economy and drove away almost 200,000 residents.

In the years that followed, Pittsburgh transformed itself from rust-belt basket case to regional tech hub, attracting offices for giants like Google and Apple, even as the steel industry continued fading.

US Steel was one of the last holdovers from the city's glory days, but the company had long been warning that its oldest plant - the Mon Valley Works, located just outside town in West Mifflin - could not survive without major reinvestment.

Then along came Japan's Nippon Steel, which acquired US Steel for nearly $15 billion in 2025, after a year-and-a-half-long saga that drew in both the Biden and Trump administrations.

Nippon Steel now plans to invest up to $2.5 billion into modernizing the Mon Valley Works, renovating the 88-year-old hot-strip mill, which has constrained both output and quality for decades.

US Steel chief executive David Burritt said the investment would also help restore confidence in the region's industrial base.

'The Mon Valley project will go a long way to make people feel like there's a future here,' Burritt told the WSJ.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 06/09/2026 3:36:06 PM PDT by dennisw
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: dennisw

Pittsburgh Steelers!!!!!!


2 posted on 06/09/2026 3:37:58 PM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC.....Patriotically Correct)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dennisw

That’s a pretty good fit. Japan does not want to have to rely on Red Chinese steel, either.


3 posted on 06/09/2026 4:01:33 PM PDT by Dr. Sivana ("Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:5))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dennisw
China has been dumping steel for years.

This will be a surge for the industry in the USA.

4 posted on 06/09/2026 4:05:01 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dennisw

American industry didn’t go anywhere to die. Our government sold it to the highest foreign bidder.


5 posted on 06/09/2026 4:08:02 PM PDT by Ronald77 ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ronald77

I have been saying for 10-15 years that Wall Street and K Street (DC lobbyists) have been selling out Main Street to Chine for the last 30+ years.


6 posted on 06/09/2026 4:22:52 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Ronald77
Our government sold it to the highest foreign bidder.

It didn't work like that. The companies sold out their workforce to have the goods made elsewhere.

7 posted on 06/09/2026 4:27:47 PM PDT by GingisK
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Ronald77

Nippon actually committed making a big investment in the US based facilities. The other (US) suitors didn’t.


8 posted on 06/09/2026 4:40:34 PM PDT by BikerJoe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: GingisK

Our government sold it to the highest foreign bidder.

It didn’t work like that. The companies sold out their workforce to have the goods made elsewhere.
///
Yes it did. the us government created he legal environment that enable the corporations to move. the first things the feds did under clinton was allow china into the world trade organization

an earlier poster had it right. it was a combination of Wall Street (corporations)and K Street (DC lobbyists) (government)


9 posted on 06/09/2026 4:59:49 PM PDT by ckilmer (`61)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson