U.S. Steel Corp. said it will idle plants in Ohio and Texas and lay off 756 workers, becoming one of the first big U.S. industrial casualties of the recent collapse in global oil prices. The plants make steel pipe and tube for oil and gas exploration and drilling. With oil prices more than 5½-year lows and hovering around $50 a barrel, energy companies have far less incentive to drill for new supply, reducing demand for the plant’s products. The Lorain, Ohio operation, which will shed 614 workers, produces more than 700,000 tons a year. Houston, where 142 will be laid off, generates over 100,000 tons annually. “The company has suddenly lost a great deal of business because of the recent downturn in the oil […]