Modeste residents express concern that steel mill will disturb historic sites

LED announced in March that the company planned the $5.8 billion steel mill for roughly 1,700 acres within the park.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): A group of residents in the Modeste area of Ascension Parish have sent a letter to Hyundai Steel, expressing concerns that the new steel mill will cause the destruction of historic and cultural sites.

Rural Roots Louisiana, a nonprofit environmental justice organization in Donaldsonville, provided a copy of the letter with a news release.

'We refuse to let Modeste disappear without being seen, heard and defended,' Ashley Gaignard, president of the organization, said in the release.

She pointed out that Hyundai issued a statement in the fall affirming its commitment to historic and cultural preservation in the area.

'It's horrible. It really is,' Modeste resident and Rural Roots member Twila Collins said in the release. 'My family has been here since the 1800s. It's important that we try to save as much of the history of Modeste that we can and not destroy it.'

Lawyers from the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Environmental Integrity Project sent the letter on behalf of Rural Roots.

The letter, which was dated Dec. 19 and sent to Hyundai Steel Louisiana President Charles Jang, requested confirmation that the sites would not be disturbed.

What has been proposed for the RiverPlex MegaPark?

The Louisiana Economic Development team has touted the announcement of Hyundai Steel's first North American steel plant planned for the industrial park outside the City of Donaldsonville in the Modeste area, along the west bank of the Mississippi River in Ascension Parish.

LED announced in March that the company planned the $5.8 billion steel mill for roughly 1,700 acres within the park.

Gov. Jeff Landry spoke about the project, among others throughout the state, during an Aug. 20 event in Donaldsonville.

In April, CF Industries revealed a $4 billion final investment to build the world's largest ammonia facility in the world within the industrial park.

Another announcement was made in June when Linde unveiled plans to invest more than $400 million to build the largest air separation unit the river corridor.

Courtesy: www.weeklycitizen.com