Special to El Rrun-Rrun
Unless the Port of Brownsville is willing to isse $200 million in bonds and Cameron County can cough up another $20 million in incentives and offer tax abatements, it appears that any hope that Arkansas-based Big River Steel will expand to the port and buiild a high-tech, $1.6 billion mill is unrealistic.
Local port and county representatives at a meeting held last month in Tennessee say that Big River Steel reps said the bond issue and the county's contributions might be necessary to make the port of Brownsville site more attractive to them.
David Stickler, CEO of Arkansas-based Big River Steel saying that the company is spending time, money and effort toward construction of a mill in the southern United States, and that although Brownsville was a contender, BRS was also considering other Gulf coast sites.
Business Wire reported that BRS is doubling the capacity of its existing steel mill, in Osceola, Ark., and is evaluating sites for a second mill in order to grow its business serving Mexico’s vehicle manufacturing sector.
The Brownsville Navigation District Commission approved a lease option agreement with BRS on up to 800 acres of port land, and the company signed an extension on that option agreement this April.
Steve Tyndal, Port of Brownsville senior director of marketing and business development, told the Brownsville Herald Stickler took part in the port’s May 23 Workforce Summit, attended by roughly 60 stakeholders, including representatives from the three proposed liquefied natural gas projects at the port.
But neither the port nor Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino committed to give Big River the incentives it demanded at the Tennessee meeting. Trevino told the company's reps that his county could not afford to forgo $20 million nor to hand out the amount of tax abatements they demanded.
Unless the Port of Brownsville is willing to isse $200 million in bonds and Cameron County can cough up another $20 million in incentives and offer tax abatements, it appears that any hope that Arkansas-based Big River Steel will expand to the port and buiild a high-tech, $1.6 billion mill is unrealistic.
Local port and county representatives at a meeting held last month in Tennessee say that Big River Steel reps said the bond issue and the county's contributions might be necessary to make the port of Brownsville site more attractive to them.
David Stickler, CEO of Arkansas-based Big River Steel saying that the company is spending time, money and effort toward construction of a mill in the southern United States, and that although Brownsville was a contender, BRS was also considering other Gulf coast sites.
Business Wire reported that BRS is doubling the capacity of its existing steel mill, in Osceola, Ark., and is evaluating sites for a second mill in order to grow its business serving Mexico’s vehicle manufacturing sector.
The Brownsville Navigation District Commission approved a lease option agreement with BRS on up to 800 acres of port land, and the company signed an extension on that option agreement this April.
Steve Tyndal, Port of Brownsville senior director of marketing and business development, told the Brownsville Herald Stickler took part in the port’s May 23 Workforce Summit, attended by roughly 60 stakeholders, including representatives from the three proposed liquefied natural gas projects at the port.
But neither the port nor Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino committed to give Big River the incentives it demanded at the Tennessee meeting. Trevino told the company's reps that his county could not afford to forgo $20 million nor to hand out the amount of tax abatements they demanded.