New owner of Warren RG steel plant speaks - 21 News Now, More Local News for Youngstown, Ohio -

WARREN, Ohio – The new owner of RG Steel's Warren, Ohio plant says it'll take luck and support to get the plant up and running again.

Twelve hundred laid off steelworkers have been laid off since June after the plant filed for bankruptcy.

A bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of Warren's RG Steel plant to C.J. Betters Enterprises for 16 million dollars.

Chuck Betters has already said he would like to sell the facility to someone who will reopen the plant, but has made it clear that support from the state and the community will be necessary.

"'We just need a little bit a luck and a lot of support and God willing, we'll get this plant restarted," Betters said.

However, workers worry that the operation could become unusable if it is not winterized soon.

Betters addressed that concern in a news conference Thursday afternoon, saying he's working with the union to get a handful of workers in to winterize the plant.

"We could be, the day after we acquire it, tearing it down, but that's not our choice," he said.

One of the issues that delayed RG Steel's sale was an objection from the company that runs the nearby coke plant. But in his order allowing the sale, the judge ruled that ArcelorMittal can maintain its option to purchase a boiler and power house facilities from RG Steel.

Court papers did not indicate if RG's new owner had reached an agreement to sell the assets to ArcelorMittal.