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arizona1

05/18/13 9:02 PM

#204320 RE: StephanieVanbryce #204318

Maybe Obama should do his next press conference from there when he announces he's given his blessing to the Keystone pipeline. grrrrrr

Or maybe someone should take the Koch brothers and rub their faces into the sludge.

fuagf

05/18/13 11:03 PM

#204336 RE: StephanieVanbryce #204318

toking and coking .. two of Canada's booming exports to USA .. chuckle .. and the "International
Joint Commission
" is the one to look into the one you would least suspect .. haha .. aside ..

Marijuana may cause Canada's economic comedown

A thriving marijuana industry has aided Canada's economy –
but political shifts in the US and at home are now threatening this

Douglas Haddow - guardian.co.uk, Thursday 5 August 2010 10.00 BST
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/aug/05/marijuana-industry-canada

in case anyone is not sure .. toking .. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=toking

ugly stuff that coking waste

PegnVA

05/19/13 10:55 AM

#204362 RE: StephanieVanbryce #204318

Why do Detroit officials tolerate this? - Are they so hard up for $$$ that anything goes?

fuagf

07/21/13 8:11 PM

#206736 RE: StephanieVanbryce #204318

Petcoke pile operator halts shipments to riverfront site


U.S. Congressman Gary Peters held a press conference in Detroit on Tuesday, May 28, 2013. Peters wanted
to call attention to the piles of petcoke along the Detroit River. (TYLER BROWNBRIDGE/The Windsor Star)

Dave Battagello
Jul 19, 2013 - 4:44 PM EDT
Last Updated: Jul 19, 2013 - 6:58 PM EDT

Detroit Bulk Storage has stopped trucking in petroleum coke for storage at a controversial site on the banks of the Detroit River.

A spokesman for the company called it a “business decision,” although there are still plans to proceed with a permit application with the City of Detroit that would allow the storage of the black byproduct of Alberta’s oil sands on the site which sits just east of the Ambassador Bridge.

The petcoke ignited a firestorm in recent months after the massive pile on the industrial riverfront site in Detroit at one time reached four storeys and a few hundred metres in length without any permits. Angry residents, environmentalists and politicians on both sides of the border feared blowing dust or runoff from the massive pile was creating an environmental hazard for both people and waterway.

U.S. Congressman Gary Peters raised concerns and proposed legislation to the House in Washington, while the New York Times and Guardian in London reported on the story.

But the pile has become much smaller in recent weeks and will continue to shrink, said Daniel Cherrin, a spokesman for the company.

“The number of ships to remove the current inventory has increased and the piles have been reduced significantly,” he said. “In addition, Detroit Bulk Storage is not scheduled to receive any additional shipments of petroleum coke.”

Ships will continue to remove what’s there throughout the summer, he said.

It was unclear whether the company will revive storing petroleum coke on the site should it secure proper zoning and permits from the city of Detroit in the coming weeks.

A special land use hearing in Detroit is scheduled for July 31 for Detroit Bulk Storage regarding the site starting at 10 a.m. in the Erma Henderson auditorium on the 13th floor of the Coleman A Young Municipal Center.

The industrial property where the petcoke has been stored since last fall is owned by Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun. He leased the lands to Detroit Bulk Storage. The company was doing so on behalf of billionaire businessmen Charles and David Koch – regarded as the largest customer and supplier of petcoke in the U.S.

Petroleum coke started to be produced in large amounts at the nearby Marathon Petroleum Corp. refinery in Detroit last fall after a massive $2-billion facility upgrade was completed – allowing it for the first time to process heavy crude oil brought in by pipeline from Alberta.

Petroleum coke gets filtered out from the crude to be resold as a cheaper replacement for coal. Although not officially listed as a toxic or hazardous product, it can contain heavy metals or sulphur, according to experts.

A second massive pile was previously located west of the bridge at Nicholson Terminal – a Detroit port of which Moroun has operational control. But the port decided last month it was getting out of the petcoke business and that pile has disappeared.

A spokesman for Marathon indicated Friday the Koch brothers remain the primary customer for petcoke being produced in Detroit. With Detroit Bulk Storage no longer handling the product, one source indicated it is now being shipped and stored in Ohio, but Marathon’s Brandon Daniels directed all such questions to the Koch company.

“Koch Carbon has made a business decision to store purchases of petroleum coke from Marathon Petroleum at another port outside the state of Michigan,” said Paul Baltzer, director of communications for Koch Industries Inc.

He did not further identify the location.

Detroit Bulk Storage – which handles a number of aggregate and other materials – also owns property further downriver in River Rouge in a heavy industrial area close to Zug Island and site of the planned new Detroit River bridge. The company has been storing small amounts of petcoke at that site and there have been discussions whether that location would be more suitable.

There have also been talks on whether it’s feasible for the company to cover the product during storage.

“At this time, Detroit Bulk Storage is listening to the concerns in the community and exploring all options,” Cherrin said.

The company has local connections as its operated by Noel Frye and John Frye – who grew up in Windsor and reside in Michigan. Their father Jack Frye and other family members currently operate Southwestern Sales – a similar aggregate and cargo company located on Windsor’s riverfront in the city’s Brighton Beach area.

Jack Frye indicated Friday he was uncertain of the latest news regarding the site, while Noel did not return a message left by The Star and was said to be on vacation.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) has been responsible for ensuring there are no environmental violations on the site and made repeated visits and issued reports on its findings which detailed concerns about blowing petcoke dust.

“We have been informed by Detroit Bulk Storage they have discontinued taking shipments there,” said Brad Wurfel, spokesman for MDEQ. “We will continue to work with them and do what’s necessary to minimize community impacts for the pile as long as it’s there.”

Local MP Brian Masse (NDP – Windsor West), an outspoken critic of the petcoke, said it was “good news” the company will cease bringing in more to the site which sits in clear view of Windsor’s riverfront parks and thousands of west-end residents.

“It’s an initial start to addressing this black eye,” he said. “Detroit is struggling with a number of issues. This has been a scar on their waterfront and its removal is a step forward.”

http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2013/07/19/petcoke-pile-operator-halts-shipments-to-riverfront-site/

======

Black pet coke dust blowing onto Detroit homes, state confirms

July 14, 2013 | 27 Comments


Romain Blanquart/ Detroit Free Press

[slideshow of 8]

By Keith Matheny
Detroit Free Press staff writer

Serene Arena could tell this wasn’t everyday dust.

Since last spring in her Detroit apartment, as she opened the windows from time to time, Arena was encountering something different.

“It’s a dusty place, but it had never been that thick or dark,” she said.

She figured the likeliest source is sitting less than 1,000 feet from her window at the 14th Street Lofts off West Lafayette Boulevard: a large, controversial pile of petroleum coke placed along the Detroit River earlier this year.

more .. http://www.freep.com/article/20130714/NEWS01/307140065/