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If it was that easy, USS would have shut Clairton and the corresponding plants years ago. The reality is that these 3 Mon Valley plants are US Steel’s cheapest cost per ton producer of steel in the company’s portfolio. Even cheaper then the new state of the art Big River Steel at Osceola, AR.

It being cheaper to pay for the steel workers healthcare by forcing the plants to close vs it being open is not realistic. Take away the tax base Clairton Coke Works provides and would the city be able to survive without falling back into Act 47 dependency from the state?

Braddock is still in Act 47 dependency even with Edgar Thomson Plant operating in it’s city limits. What is going to replace this enormous tax base? Our air is “cleaner” now. But our local economies tank to levels not seen since likely the 1980’s and big steel’s permanent collapse. How many of these former steel mill towns have been able to recover 40 years later?

Clairton Mill closes, backstreet burger probably closes. speedway closes. It’s a ripple effect that goes beyond just the plant itself. These businesses were not put there to sustain just off of the city itself.

Are the local communities going to pay for the railroad workers retirement too because the mill was forced to shut down? They were dependent on the mill to make a living, too. Local owner operator truck drivers delivering products or hauling products out of the mills?

As much disdain it may bring you to see these plants operational, they are a critical part of the Mon Valley’s ecosystem. You can’t just replace 3,000 well paying jobs overnight.