Steel Is Dead?! Steel is alive and well in Pittsburgh

With all the excitement of the Steelers making the Super Bowl, it's that time of year where the media does that same story on the origin of the Steelers logo.

In fact, there is a great, factual piece on the history of the logo that can be found on the website of the logo owners, the American Iron and Steel Institute.

The story of the Steelers logo (the steelmark) is a fantastic one. And, it gives people great insight to the formation of the Pittsburgh region.

But, there's always that paranthetical remark by media and announcers that "steel is no longer made in the region," "steel is dead in Pittsburgh," or even worse, "steel isn't made in the US anymore." Let me explain why that is horribly incorrect.

While it's true that downtown Pittsburgh isn't packed with side-to-side mills, the fact is that steel IS still made here. In some instances, the quantities of steel made here are in excess of when we had s

ide-to-side mills lining the downtown area.

It just so happens that steel mills can do much more with much less today. In what once took miles of mill space to make steel, modern steelmaking can take place in much cleaner, smaller steelmaking facilities.

Downtown pittsburgh, has become a metropolitan area. But the steelmaking capacity is still here in the region. In just a 25 mile circle from the downtown area, you'll find several steelmaking facilities:

• US Steel Edgar Thompson
• Universal Stainless
• Union Electric Steel
• Allegheny Ludlum (Midland, Latrobe, Brakenridge, and Natrona)
• Whemco
• TMK Ipsco Koppel
• Ellwood Quality Steels
• AK Steel Butler

And, that doesn't include the global headquarters for US Steel in Pittsburgh's downtown area and other corporate offices that ARE in the downtown area.

So, to pronounce steel dead in Pittsburgh, or to dismiss the 80+ million tons of steel annually produced here in the US as dead--just because you don't see it in our downtown areas, is just perpetuating a misconception.

Steel IS still here in Pittsburgh--it's smaller, cleaner and much more quiet than its ominous past. Which, I guess that should be a compliment to its environmental and technical advancements. But, still, PITTSBURGH IS STILL A STEEL TOWN. Go Steelers!