Economy
More To Come: U.S. Steel Could Invest as much as $500M in Fairfield Area After Commission Vote
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U.S. Steel’s $70 million investment in its Fairfield Works is just an indication of what the steelmaker plans to bring to Alabama, specifically to western Jefferson County.
“We’re looking at a potential of up to $500 million of investment somewhere in Alabama, but we would like to put it at Fairfield,” said Paul Vercher, the senior director of state government affairs of U.S. Steel. “It just needs to be somewhere along our logistical chain. But we would like to put it in Fairfield.”
Vercher was in the Jefferson County Commission chambers Thursday, as he was for the commission’s committee meeting on Tuesday, as it approved an abatement of non-education sales and use taxes during construction of a seamless tubular threading facility and a 10-year abatement of non-education property taxes. The measure passed 4-0 with Lashunda Scales abstaining.
See also: U.S. Steel Seeks Tax Abatement for Development at Fairfield Works
The District 1 commissioner said she is fully supportive of the project, but she didn’t vote to avoid a possible conflict of interest, as her husband works for the company.
“This is a good day for Fairfield,” Scales said. “I just want to thank U.S. Steel for continuing to invest not only into your corporation but what you’re doing as a footprint in our community.
“My husband used to work on the hot strip. He’s in the IT Department now,” she continued. “I look forward to you (Vercher) and I getting together, but I’m in absolute support of this project.”
Vercher and Scales had an extensive conversation following the meeting. Afterward, Vercher provided a peek into the future.
“We have a number of projects,” he said. “This one is a $70 million project. We have a couple others that probably will come forward later in the year that we’ll have more information on, and we’ll come back and talk about those at that time. But, yeah, we plan to spend before the end of 2028 (about) $500 million somewhere around Fairfield, near and around Fairfield, or somewhere along our logistical supply line.”
Building in and around Fairfield “streamlines our operations,” Vercher said. “We still will utilize other premium threading mills that we have in other states. They’ll still operate, but this will just be closer to the pipe that we make in Fairfield. It’s just for efficiency and streamlining purposes.”
