Although the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may still object to its proximity to an airport, the electric arc furnace mill being proposed by John Correnti’s SteelCorr has received county approval for construction.
In a June meeting, the Lowndes County (Miss.) Board of Supervisors has voted unanimously to approve a memorandum of understanding, according to the Daily Times Leader of West Point, Miss.
The vote helps keep prospects alive for the 1.5 million-tons-per-year steel mill, which is being proposed by a company named SteelCorr that is headed by former Nucor executive John Correnti.
A stumbling block has been a 250-foot-tall galvanizing tower proposed as part of the mill that may be too close to a runway at the adjacent Golden Triangle Regional Airport.
According to the Daily Times Leader, the FAA still needs to conduct a study on the possible impact of the galvanizing tower, which could potentially affect planes making visual approaches to the airport and planes making instrument landings in low visibility conditions.
Airport board member Robin McCormick has told the Daily Times Leader, “We support the SteelCorr project, but our loyalty is to the FAA and ensuring that we have a safe airport.”
The SteelCorr plans call for construction on a 1,380-acre site just east of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport. The county has approved purchasing the property to lease it to SteelCorr. The mill could potentially employ 450 people and will melt scrap to produce as much as 1.5 million tons per year of rolled steel.