U.S. Steel investment is crucial for community

As a lifelong resident of North Braddock Borough, graduate of Woodland Hills High School and North Braddock councilman, I want to express appreciation for the $1 billion investment that U.S. Steel will be making in our communities (May 2, “Workers Applaud U.S. Steel’s Billion-Dollar Bet on the Future”).

U.S. Steel will first create an endless casting and rolling facility, which will create sustainable steel produced in an environmentally friendly, energy-efficient process. This American-made steel will be used widely in the construction and automotive industries, making homes, cars, trucks and appliances.

Second, U.S. Steel will invest in the creation of a cogeneration plant that will reduce the carbon output of the Mon Valley Works and, most important, improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gases.

Major industrial facilities like the Mon Valley Works and the work carried out therein have inherent risk. Thousands of machines and thousands of employees need to work in a synchronized way to ensure safe operation. As we saw, a massive fire struck the Clairton Coke Works, and in the wake of that fire, the plant exceeded clean-air standards. But thanks to the incredible efforts of U.S. Steel employees — women and men who are our neighbors and friends — the plant has been fully repaired.

Additionally, U.S. Steel management and its union workforce have committed that Clairton and Edgar Thomson will be rebuilt to the highest environmental standards. U.S. Steel has put its money where its mouth is; $1 billion. That $1 billion will focus on environmental stewardship and energy efficiencies.

But just as important, this investment will be made with union jobs that pay family-sustaining wages for the people who live in the Mon Valley and beyond. Union jobs are the bedrock of the Mon Valley economy. Union jobs are the bedrock of the Mon Valley’s continued progress and future. I thank U.S. Steel and its employees for their crucial investment. CHRIS ROLAND North Braddock The writer is a North Braddock Council member.