CHICAGO (AP) - A company that handles petroleum coke in the Chicago area says it’s improving facilities, including working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to install air monitors.
In a Monday statement, KCBX Terminals Co. says it has made upgrades to its facilities, including $10 million for dust suppression technology.
“Petcoke” is a byproduct of oil refining that’s accumulating along shipping channels and has sparked health and environmental concerns.
On Monday, Gov. Pat Quinn announced new rules to handle and store petcoke in Illinois, including in Chicago and East St. Louis. The rules will be reviewed by the Illinois Pollution Control Board.
The city of Chicago and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office have filed lawsuits over petcoke. Another company, Indiana-based Beemsterboer Slag Corp., has agreed to remove piles of the substance.
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