News

Whether the plant has been shut down permanently is unclear Erie Coke Corp. turned away employees Thursday morning, possibly signaling the end of a years-long fight between the plant and community members concerned about environmental violations. One employee, who declined to give his name, said he was told “they’re safely shutting it down.” “We just got here and they said we don’t have a job,” said another employee, Justin Pastuha. Both employees were standing at the entrance to the plant, which sits at the foot of East Avenue. Company officials have said the plant employs 137 people. About a dozen... Read More

On Friday December 20th members of HECA, Benedictines for Peace and Our Water Our Air Our Rights  will meet at Erie Coke at 12:15 to present a Christmas Stocking of Coal to Mr. Nesselbeck and/or Mr. Paul Saffrin. The coal represents the years of pollution and degradation that Erie Coke has spewed on our Erie Community. And from Erie Coke…We hope for a pollution free New Year.

City officials are working to set a meeting to discuss Erie Coke’s compliance plan Erie Coke Corp. has missed the deadline to come into compliance with the city of Erie’s wastewater treatment rules. As a result, the coke plant at the foot of East Avenue is at least temporarily not discharging wastewater into the city’s sanitary system. Ed Nesselbeck, the company’s environmental director, said Erie Coke will truck some wastewater offsite and store some at the plant as it works to get back into compliance. The plant cannot discharge wastewater into the city’s system again until its entire onsite wastewater... Read More

A new cease-and-desist order follows two civil penalties levied against Erie Coke earlier this year. The city of Erie has issued an ultimatum to Erie Coke Corp.: come into compliance with wastewater treatment rules or start shipping the coke plant’s wastewater elsewhere. Erie Coke has until Dec. 15 to become compliant, according to a cease-and-desist order the city issued on Friday. If the deadline isn’t met, Erie Coke will be forced to stop discharging wastewater from the plant, which sits at the foot of East Avenue, into the city’s sanitary system. Erie Coke is dealing with this latest reprimand as... Read More

Some of the wildflowers in the overgrown field reach Mike Campbell’s head. He walked through them one recent day, pointing out where to watch for railroad tracks, as he got closer to Erie Coke. It’s an industrial plant on the shore of one of the Great Lakes where workers turn coal into a key ingredient for steel manufacturing. The operation has a long history of environmental violations, and it survived a shut-down attempt by state regulators almost a decade ago. It’s now being targeted again — in part thanks to Campbell and a group he helped start. When Campbell reached... Read More