Trouble at Erie Coke

The past few weeks we’ve noticed the smoke has been darker and the odors have been stronger at Tonawanda Coke. Whatever is going on in there isn’t good for us to breathe.

And it looks like there is also trouble at Erie Coke, our “sister plant”, in Erie, PA that is also owned by Don Crane.

Our friends in Erie sent along a few articles explaining the incident. According to reports, the plant lost power and when employees tried to turn on the boilers the system overloaded. That’s when the “coke-smell” was released into the air. The Erie Times covered the story and a blogger put up pictures of the smoke. The emissions covered downtown Erie the entire day.

Crane now had two companies under investigation and has been ordered to clean up at both sites. What’s it going to take to get this guy to clean up his act?

Incidents like these demonstrate why the state must continue to monitor the air in Tonawanda. Relying on companies like Tonawanda Coke to honestly self-report their emissions is foolish. Unfortunately, the funding for the air monitors in Tonawanda runs out April 1. We’ve started a petition here to let DEC Commissioner know we need air monitoring. Funding the monitors will allow us to track our progress and sends an important message to polluters that we are watching. Help us out by signing the petition and letting your friends know.