A Mississippi newspaper reports that a company, American Specialty Alloys, has filed for permits to build a $1.2 billion steel mill near Columbus, Miss., but the CEO is also quoted as saying Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee sites could be in the running.

Financing details were not forthcoming. So I’d guess this means that Mississippi has made a sweet deal, but the company is always willing to go to another state that puts more money on the table. Is Arkansas ready to sink another half-billion in public money into another steel mill? Given some of the fuss that arose over the Big River Steel handout — existing steel mills that located here on their own capital weren’t happy — it seems like a long shot at first glance.

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