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HOW MUCH STEEL ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE? >> ENOUGH TO BUILD ANOTHER HEINZ FIELD AND A DOWNTOWN SKYSCRAPER TO BOOT. EVEN WITH THE CHINESE TARIFFS, SOME STEEL COMPANIES IN THE STEEL CITY TELL ME THEY ARE NOT GETTING ANY WORK AT THE CRACKER PLANT. THIS DESPITE MORE THAN $1 , BILLION WORTH OF INCENTIVES , COURTESY OF PENNSYLVANIA TAXPAYERS. THE SHELL CRACKER PLANT IS A MASSIVE INDUSTRIAL PROJECT ON THE OHIO RIVER IN BEAVER COUNTY. HUGE FABRICATED STRUCTURES LIKE THIS ONE ARE FLOATED IN ON BARGES FROM AS FAR AWAY AS LOUISIANA AND MUCH OF THE STEEL THAT MAKES THOSE STRUCTURES CAME FROM MUCH FARTHER AWAY THAN THAT FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET, IN FAC LITTELL STEEL RUNS A FABRICATING PLANT JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM THE CRACKER PLANT. HOW MUCH BUSINESS ARE YOU GETTING OUT OF THE CRACKER PLANT? >> WE’VE ACTUALLY NOT GOTTEN ANY BUSINESS OUT OF THE CRACKER PLANT. >> PETER HAS U.S. STEEL ACCORDING TO COMPANY CEO DAVID BURRITT. U.S. CUSTOMS RECORDS OBTAINED BY ACTION NEWS INVESTIGATES REVEAL THE CRACKER PLANT IS USING THOUSANDS OF TONS OF STEEL FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES. MOST OF IT IS FROM CHINA BUT THERE’S ALSO STEEL FROM GERMANY, ITALY, JAMAICA, MALAYSIA, POLAND, KOREA AND OTHERS THE TOTAL? MORE THAN 21,000 TONS OF STEEL AND STEEL PARTS FROM OVERSEAS. ENOUGH TO BUILD HEINZ FIELD AND THE TOWER AT PNC PLAZA DOWNTOW >> IT’S A PUNCH IN THE GUT. >> THE AMOUNT OF IMPORTS CAME AS A SURPRISE TO US STEEL’S CEO. >> THE STEEL COMPANIES IN THE UNITED STATES CAN PROVIDE ANY TYPE OF STEEL THAT THIS FACILITY WOULD NEED SO I’M A BIT SURPRISED THAT IT WOULD BE COMING FROM CHINA ESPECIALLY GIVEN WHERE THE TARIFFS ARE. >> IN A STATEMENT, A SHELL SPOKESMAN SAYS, THE PROJECT’S STEEL PURCHASING STRATEGY IS BASED ON ECONOMIC DRIVERS AND SPECIFIC TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS NEEDED TO CONSTRUCT A SUITABLE PROJECT IN THIS REGION. BOTH THE U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL STEEL PLAY DIFFERENT AND ESSENTIAL ROLES IN BRINGING OUR PROJECT TO FRUITION. SHELL ALSO SAYS SOME PARTS NEEDED AT THE CRACKER ARE NOT MADE IN THE U.S. SHELL WOULD NOT SAY HOW MUCH DOMESTIC STEEL IS BEING USED AT THE PLANT. NOT ENOUGH ACCORDING TO SOME PEOPLE WHO LIVE AND WORK NEAR THE CRACKER. SO THEY SHOULD BE GETTING THAT STEEL FROM THIS COUNTRY? >> ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY. >> WHY? >> IT PUTS US TO WORK. IT KEEPS OUR ECONOMY GOING. BRINGING IT IN FROM OVERSEAS NO. >> THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE WORKING OUT THERE BUT THEY ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE MORE JOBS AND THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE FOCUS. >> BUT ROBERT THAW AT LITTELL STEEL IS NOT SURPRISED THAT SHELL IS USING SO MUCH FOREIGN STEEL. >> IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO SEE MORE OF IT BUILT HERE BUT I THINK IT IS A COST THING. >> HOW COULD IT POSSIBLY BE CHEAPER FOR THEM TO BRING IN ALL THIS STUFF FROM SO FAR AWAY? >> IT’S A FUNCTION OF MATERIAL COSTS, LABOR COSTS, OVERHE COSTS, ENGINEERING COSTS. >> STATE SENATOR JAY COSTA SAYS THE CRACKER PROJECT IS GETTING UP TO $1.6 BILLION IN TAX CREDITS FROM PENNSYLVANI TAXPAYERS SO IT SHOULD BE USING DOMESTIC STEEL. AFTER ACTION NEWS INVESTIGATES TOLD HIM ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF FOREIGN STEEL, COSTA SAID HE WOULD FILE LEGISLATION REQUIRING COMPANIES GETTING TAX CREDITS TO USE DOMESTIC STEEL. >> THIS IS INAPPROPRIATE. IT IS WRONG. DO THE RIGHT THING HERE AND PURCHASE DOMESTIC STEEL EITHER FROM PENNSYLVANIA OR SOMEWHERE ELSE IN OUR COUNTRY. THAT’S WHAT THEY SHOULD BE DOIN >> PENNSYLVANIA LAW CURRENTLY REQUIRES COMPANIES USE DOMESTIC STEEL FOR STATE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS OR IF THEY ARE GETTING CERTAIN STATE GRANTS. BECAUSE OF OUR ACTION NEWS INVESTIGATION, COSTA SAYS HE WANTS TO EXTEND

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The Shell cracker plant in Beaver County is one of the largest construction projects in the country, using massive amounts of steel.Action News Investigates has learned much of that steel was imported -- mostly from China. (Watch the investigative report in the video player above.)At the cracker plant on the Ohio River, huge fabricated structures are floated in on barges from as far away as Louisiana. And records show much of the steel that makes those structures came from much farther away than that – from the other side of the planet, in fact.Littell Steel runs a fabricating plant just down the road from the cracker plant.“We've actually not gotten any business out of the cracker plant,” said Robert Thaw, Littell’s president.Neither has U.S. Steel, according to company CEO David Burritt.U.S. Customs records obtained by Action News Investigates reveal the cracker plant is using thousands of tons of steel from foreign countries. Most of it is from China, but there is also steel from Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Malaysia, Poland, South Korea and other countries.The total: more than 21,000 tons of steel and steel parts from overseas.That is enough to build Heinz Field and the Tower at PNC Plaza in downtown Pittsburgh.“It's a punch in the gut,” said state Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, when Action News Investigates told him about the foreign steel at the plant.The amount of imports came as a surprise to U.S. Steel's CEO.“The steel companies in the United States can provide any type of steel that this facility would need, so I'm a bit surprised that it would be coming from China especially given where the tariffs are,” Burritt said.In a statement, Shell spokesman Joseph Minnitte said: "The project's steel purchasing strategy is based on economic drivers and specific technical considerations needed to construct a suitable project in this region. Both US and international steel play different and essential roles in bringing our project to fruition."Minnitte also said some parts needed at the cracker are not made in the U.S.But he would not say how much domestic steel is being used at the plant.Not enough, according to some people who live and work near the cracker.Rebecca White, of Beaver, said Shell should “absolutely” be using domestic steel. “It puts us to work. It keeps our economy going. Bringing it in from overseas -- no,” she said.Albert Park, of Center Township, added: "There's a lot of people working out there (at the plant) but they also had the opportunity to provide more jobs and that should have been the focus."But Thaw said he is not surprised that Shell is using so much foreign steel.“It would have been nice to see more of it built here but I think it is a cost thing,” he said. “It's a function of material costs, labor costs, overhead costs, engineering costs.”Costa said the cracker project is getting up to $1.6 billion in tax credits from Pennsylvania taxpayers, so it should be using domestic steel. After Action News Investigates told him about the amount of foreign steel, Costa said he would file legislation requiring companies getting tax credits to use domestic steel.“This is inappropriate. It's wrong. Do the right thing here and purchase domestic steel either from Pennsylvania or somewhere else in our country. That's what they should be doing,” Costa said.Pennsylvania law currently requires companies use domestic steel for state construction projects or if they are getting certain state grants.