Re: (erielack) Former EL Cities on This Sad List

[RJFlei_@_aol.com]

NJ Rick,
 
I was so glad to see your post about Scranton. It does look like things are  
moving in the right direction there. 
 
My wife and I were there about 3 years ago and I didn't think it was so  bad. 
 
Really, the Youngstown-Warren metro area has it's good points too. We're  
right between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Also, in between NY and Chicago. There  
are a lot of things to do in our area. We have plenty of water. The weather  
isn't that bad. We have a highly skilled workforce.
 
Within a 60 mile radius there are 17 colleges and universities. 
 
Some of the bright spots are:
 
WCI Steel was bought out by Severstal Steel. Severstal has pledged to put $  
100 million worth of improvements into the mill including the re-lining of the 
 blast furnace. This should keep the taconite moving over the former EL line. 
 Severstal is a Russian company. 
 
What used to be Copperweld Steel was bought by Warren Steel Holdings. They  
are now ramping up production at the melt shop where there are electric  
furnaces. They make alloy steel bars. This was on the B&O Lake branch. This  line 
now connects to the EL where BO tower used to be. This is a Ukrainian  company. 
The Ohio Central is now working to get some state funding to rehab the  rail 
line. 
 
GM Lordstown just added a third shift and 1,400 people to build the Chevy  
Cobalt and the Pontiac G5. There is lots of rail activity there with NS and CSX. 
 
One of the problems we have is US Trade policy. We don't have a level field  
to play on. US workers have to compete with people that make $1 an hour or 
less,  have national healthcare, no EPA, no OSHA, no labor standards, no US 
taxes, and  no US regulations. "Free Trade" agreements in no way level the playing  
field.  Besides that, the US Government actually uses my tax dollars to  
finance my company's move overseas and actually encourages the move. There's  
something wrong with that picture. I'd call it economic treason. 
 
We nearly lost Wheatland Tube in Sharon, Pa. (also on the EL) because the  
Chinese were dumping steel tubing into this country. Finally, the government got 
 off of their a - - and did something about it. The Chinese would sell the  
finished product for less than it cost Wheatland Tube to buy the raw  materials!
 
Rick Fleischer
Cortland, OH. 
 
 



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