The Death of the Steel Industry in the Ohio Valley

ArcelorMittal is unloading A LOT of land but on the flip side Another group of Arcelor Mittal Weirton plant employees have until Jan. 25 to evaluate a severance package from the company.

I know that Steel has been the backbone of the Ohio Valley for decades upon decades, but gone are the days that it is what makes the Valley survive. It may be a very cruel thing to say, but it really is time to just quit trying to hang onto an industry that is dead here. Quit holding on to the hope of breathing any life back into the Steel industry in the Ohio Valley. It is dead! The sooner this is accepted the better. The counties and cities that rely heavily on the Mills for taxes and jobs need to just bite the bullet and give in to the fact it's over and it's time to move on and become creative in catching the attention of new employers and ways to generate revenue. It will hurt for awhile and the job loss all the way around is horrible, but it is not the end of the Ohio Valley. City officials up and down the river need to get creative and energetic about reviving their cities and towns instead of sitting on there asses worrying about what to do.

What I am really trying to say is wake up, let it go and pick yourself up off the floor and start over. It will not be easy, it will not happen without great sacrifice and hardship, but it will happen. The Ohio Valley needs a shot of adrenaline or at least a good swift kick in the ass and make something happen. Most of us are not in a position to make anything happen, but we do elect officials to do that for us, maybe its time for a REALLY big change ?

Just as a side note though, at the time of writing this there were approximately 92 employees at the Arcelor Mittal plant that have accepted a buyout offer from the company. To these employees I say "Good Luck" and spend it wisely. Make sure you invest in you future since obviously the steel industry did not do it for you.