Canadian power plant is buying up Detroit’s pile of tar-sands waste, burning it

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http://grist.org/news/canadian-power-plant-is-buying-up-detroits-pile-of-tar-sands-waste-burning-it/

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Detroit’s ugly petcoke pile

Residents of Detroit who’ve railed against the recent mushrooming of a three-story-high pile of petrochemical waste on their riverfront may be pleased to know that the petcoke is gradually being shipped back to Canada.

But while the news might be good for Detroiters, it’s not so good for Canadians — or anyone who cares about a livable climate. A Nova Scotia power plant is now burning the cheap, filthy fuel to produce electricity.

The petcoke is a byproduct of refining tar-sands oil, which began recently at a Detroit refinery. The pile’s growth over the past six months has disgusted residents and their elected leaders. Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) introduced legislation in Congress that would direct the federal government to investigate the health and environmental impacts of the uncovered waste. A state lawmaker introduced a bill that would require such waste to be stored inside enclosed structures. And the Detroit City Council is mulling options [PDF] for dealing with the blight.

It’s difficult to legally burn petcoke for energy in the U.S. because of the pollution it creates, but power plants in other countries — like Canada, apparently — are happy to buy it up and burn it.

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1. A perfect example of why CCS will never work.

Take those big ugly piles of black, and turn them into an invisible odorless gas.

Out of sight, out of mind.