Quigley Visits Chicago Neighborhood Affected by Petroleum Coke Storage Sites
CHICAGO – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) visited two Southeast side petroleum coke (petcoke) storage sites and spoke with neighborhood residents about the negative environmental and health impacts of petcoke dust due to insufficient local, state and federal regulations.
"Our communities deserve better protection from dangerous public health hazards like petcoke," said Rep. Quigley. "These open air storage sites expose local residents to pollution from petcoke dust, putting them at risk for potential health problems like respiratory illnesses. Seeing these facilities first hand underscores the need for sensible federal regulations that will protect local air and water quality from harmful pollutants like petcoke."
PHOTO: Rep. Quigley discusses pollution from petcoke dust with members of the Southeast Environmental Task Force, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Environmental Law and Policy Center.
Petcoke is a solid by-product of the oil refining process, produced when converting heavy crude oils into refined petroleum products. Petcoke dust can contaminate air when dust is blown from storage sites into neighboring residential and business areas and water when runoff feeds into nearby water sources.
Currently, there is no national standard for storing and transporting petcoke, and little is known about the health impacts of petcoke dust exposure. Communities in Illinois and across the country have been affected by petcoke contamination, causing upper respiratory ailments and concerns over the safety of drinking water. According to Energy Information Administration (EIA), the domestic production of petcoke is expected to increase as U.S. refineries continue to add coking capacity.
In April, Chicago passed a local ordinance banning new coal and petcoke storage facilities from opening in the city, but the existing storage sites continue to contaminate nearby residential areas.
Rep. Quigley is a stalwart supporter of the environment and a member of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC). He has urged his colleagues in the House to put partisanship aside and craft America's first national energy plan. In March, Rep. Quigley authored a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency requesting a study on the health impacts of petcoke dust. He has previously spoken out against the Keystone XL Pipeline and recently received one of the highest scores from the League of Conservation Voters for his record on environmental issues.
