Leon Topalian (at left), CEO of Nucor, presents Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., with the 2026 Nucor Woman of Steel award during a news conference on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, at Nucor Steel West Virginia in Apple Grove, Mason County.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (center), R-W.Va. reacts after being named the 2026 Nucor Woman of Steel during a news conference on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, at Nucor Steel West Virginia in Apple Grove, Mason County.
Leon Topalian (at left), CEO of Nucor, presents Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., with the 2026 Nucor Woman of Steel award during a news conference on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, at Nucor Steel West Virginia in Apple Grove, Mason County.
RYAN FISCHER | HD Media
APPLE GROVE — Nucor Corp. almost canceled its $4 billion construction project in Mason County, but the intervention of two U.S. senators with the Huntington District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers saved the day, the company's CEO told a group of West Virginia employees Monday morning.
For her help in getting the final environmental project the company needed to save the West Virginia mill, Nucor gave U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., its “Woman of Steel Award.â€
Nucor CEO Leon Topalian said the award is the company’s highest, and it is not given annually or lightly. Topalian said Capito was the first person to receive the award in the seven years he has been CEO, and it was given because of the senator’s work to secure the last permit the Mason County mill needed to begin construction.
The problem was with pink mucket pearly mussels, an endangered species that tends to be found when developers of large projects want to do work in the Ohio River. Nucor wanted to build a large barge dock along the Ohio at the mill site to receive raw materials and ship finished products. The Huntington District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said a bed of mussels would need to be moved before the permit could be issued — a process that took time because of river conditions.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (center), R-W.Va. reacts after being named the 2026 Nucor Woman of Steel during a news conference on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, at Nucor Steel West Virginia in Apple Grove, Mason County.
RYAN FISCHER | HD Media
“This project sat idle for a year without a permit, costing Nucor and future customers literally hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars,†Topalian said at the award presentation. “And any of you that know me personally will know that I don't ever pick up the phone and call anyone if I need help willy-nilly. It's thoughtful. It's deliberate. If I call you and ask for something, it's because, man, I really need that help.
“I said, Senator, we need help. We can't get permits. And she asked what was going on — asked for some details. In the days to follow that call, I wish I could give you a better behind-the-scenes. I wish all of you could see the advocacy and the fight in Senator Capito. But the Army Corps of Engineers was the last permit. It was the last holdout. And what I would just tell you in a very succinct way is that Senator Capito made it very clear that this company needed their permits; that they were going to bring 1,000 direct jobs, five [thousand] or 10,000 indirect jobs to this community, and you were going to make sure you did what was required to help this company out. Period. And I think it was within four weeks we had our permits after waiting a year.
“We were really at a point where if we couldn't move forward, we're going to have to start talking to other states and start re-engaging this entire process. What a tragic loss it would have been for this community, for this state. And again, Senator Capito, you have stood in the gap, and I would tell you we are not here without you. This project does not exist without your support.â€
