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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsChicago Residents Rebel Against Koch Brothers and Rahm Emanuel Over Petroleum Coke Hazard
Chicago Residents Rebel Against Koch Brothers and Rahm Emanuel Over Petroleum Coke Hazard
MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT
The Koch brothers are benefitting from the Alberta tar sands operation big time as they amass mountains of a byproduct -- petroleum coke -- to sell overseas.
As with many toxic industries, the Koch brothers are locating storage large storage piles of petcoke in poor down-on-their-heels neighborhoods. This first came to notice in Detroit, where the Kochs were storing the hazardous material -- in open air -- along the Detroit River until ships could transport it overseas (particularly to China).
As EcoNews reported last year:
The New York Times is reporting about a growing, dirty side effect of refining tar sands bitumen from Canada. The evidence is on clear display as a black mountain piles up alongside the Detroit River, thanks in part to Charles and David Koch.
Assumption Park gives residents of this city lovely views of the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit skyline. Lately theyve been treated to another sight: a three-story pile of petroleum coke covering an entire city block on the other side of the Detroit River. Detroits ever-growing black mountain is the unloved, unwanted and long overlooked byproduct of Canadas oil sands boom, says the article, A Black Mound of Canadian Oil Waste Is Rising Over Detroit.
The toxic mountain of petroleum coke, or petcoke, is like coal but dirtier, and is being sold by Koch Carbon to fuel the coal plants of countries like China. The coke (in Detroit) comes from a refinery alongside the river owned by Marathon Petroleum, which has been there since 1930. But it began refining exports from the Canadian oil sandsand producing the waste that is sold to Kochonly in November."
A study from Oil Change International earlier this year details just how dangerous petcoke is to the environment.
A similar storage hazard exists on Chicago's struggling Southwest Side, along the Calumet River. Many residents are revolting against Mayor Rahm Emanuel's proposed industry friendly regulations and support a ban on open storage of petroleum coke (a move opposed by Emanuel). .........................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/18435-chicago-residents-rebel-against-koch-brothers-and-rahm-emanuel-over-petroleum-coke-hazard
OKNancy
(41,832 posts)Emanuel signals crackdown on piles of refinery waste
Mayor says city may require Southeast Side refinery waste be enclosed
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http://www.npr.org/2013/12/20/255699254/chicago-moves-to-limit-petroleum-coke-storage
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I'm not sure this author is correct about Emanuel.
marmar
(77,081 posts)http://www.midwestenergynews.com/2014/01/14/in-chicago-neighbors-say-petcoke-rules-full-of-loopholes/
Alderman John Pope, who represents the Chicago neighborhoods most affected, and Ed Burke, a powerful alderman with an interest in clean air, have proposed two ordinances related to petcoke. One favored by Burke would ban petcoke storage in Chicago. The other, pushed by Pope, would impose site-specific regulations.
Emanuel last month rejected the idea of a citywide ban on petcoke storage, saying a state or federal solution is needed. On Monday, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn proposed emergency rules on petcoke storage statewide.
The proposed city rules would cover storage of solid bulk materials including petcoke, coal, ore and other materials used as fuel. Piles of salt, construction and demolition debris, waste and recycling material would not be subject to the regulations.
Igel
(35,320 posts)Produces more carbon dioxide than other kinds of carbon, but also burns hot without much ash (which is a good thing if you're producing steel or don't want too much ash). It makes for some really unhealthy gases during production (which should be captured by the refinery). I mean, coke is bitumen or anthracite that's had everything volatile removed. I grew up around mounds of coal coke. Light, silvery, hard, porous.
So if it's a volatile chemical, it's been removed from the coke. Might still contain metals, including heavy metals, and sulfur. My only real concern would be what slightly acidic rainwater might dissolve out and leach into the ground. Some petcokes have far higher metal concentrations than others.
Otherwise I haven't heard of the unhealthy effects of petcoke from just sitting there. Most people take "high CO2 = toxic, toxic means dangerous if it's near me." I mean, that pile of leaves and grass I'm composting is going to produce a lot of CO2, but I rather think it'll be good for my garden and isn't overly toxic.
Have heard that it's unsightly--both the petcoke and my pile of organic debris--but I don't regard "unsightly" as equivalent to "toxic."
(Otherwise I guess the new US Olympic winter parade uniforms would have to be dubbed "toxic". You know, I might be okay with that.)