The group Louisiana Progress is urging Hyundai Steel to live up to its word as construction of its $5.8 billion steel mill in Ascension Parish draws nearer. The company has said it plans on using electricity to manufacture the steel instead of burning coal, reducing carbon emissions by 70%. Louisiana Progress Campaign Strategist Dr. Angelle Bradford Rosenberg wants Hyundai to stick to that.
“It is possible. They’ve been working on it in South Korea; they just need to develop it at scale in Louisiana and not take the easy way out and go with natural gas power,” Rosenberg noted.
Rosenberg says another big issue is the people living near the site – not only those choosing to stay in their homes who now have this steel mill close by, but also for those being forced to move.
“There hasn’t been a concerted, organized effort to ensure that folks are properly compensated. And we were given the assurance, from the governor and parish officials, that there would be an advisory board for all of the potential displacement,” Rosenberg noted.
The Hyundai Steel plant will create thousands of new jobs for Ascension Parish. Bradford wants assurances from the company that locals will get first dibs on those jobs.
“A lot of the folks in this part of Ascension Parish have experience, or skills and training, for jobs in the steelmaking industry; but we want to make sure that they are the ones that are prioritized for hiring,” Rosenberg said.
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