Steel Wars: Nucor files new suit against Big River Steel

BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. - Nucor Steel has apparently not given up in its attempt to block Big River Steel from building another steel mill in Mississippi County.

Nucor Corp. filed a lawsuit in federal court in Jonesboro Monday, accusing Big River of violations under the Clean Air Act. Big River is planning a $1.3 billion steel mill just south of Osceola that would eventually employ more than 500 workers.

In the lawsuit, Nucor, which operates two steel mills outside Blytheville, claims that pollutants from the new steel mill will harm the air quality in Mississippi County, which would negatively affect the productivity of its workforce.

Nucor has long been an opponent of the planned new steel mill. Having previously lobbied the Arkansas Legislature to not provide state funding for the project, Nucor also went to court earlier this year in an attempt to block approval Big River's air quality permit. Those efforts were unsuccessful.

In May, the company made known its plans to file suit under the Clean Air Act. That lawsuit was filed Monday.

Big River Steel's founder John Correnti had harsh words for the new lawsuit.

"It's just more of the same," Correnti said. "They lost with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality; they appealed it, lost again, appealed to an administrative judge, lost again. I don't know when they're going to figure out that it's all frivolous, it's not going anywhere. I just don't understand it. The Arkansas Department of Air Quality and the federal Environmental Protection Agency have turned them down three times."

"They should be ashamed of themselves," Correnti continued. "This is a citizen's action suit. I don't know how we can be accused of polluting when we're two years from producing our first ton of steel. I feel sorry for (Nucor-Yamato Steel), because they've had a good name in this community for 30 years, and now it's being dragged through the mud. We have a valid construction permit and it's been verified three times."

Last May, when plans for the new lawsuit were made known, Keith Prevost of Nucor-Yamato Steel issued a statement defending Nucor's legal action.

"Nucor Steel Arkansas and Nucor-Yamato Steel continue to believe that the air permit issued to Big River Steel LLC does not meet the requirements of applicable state and federal law, and that permitting for the Big River facility will be detrimental to the existing steelmaking operations in Mississippi County," Prevost said. "Given these circumstances, we intend to make our case in both federal court and through the state appellate court process, and we look forward to a final disposition of this matter."

When built, Big River Steel is expected to employ 545 full-time employees earning upward of $75,000 per year. Approximately 2,000 construction workers will be needed to build the plant. Last month, Correnti announced that full approval of all financing for the plant had been finalized, and that Big River Steel was "signed, sealed and delivered, a done deal."

A September ground-breaking has been planned.