Setting the record straight...

SETF, the Southeast Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke and the National Nurses United along held a joint press conference to call attention to the overwhelming community support for a ban on the handling, shipping and transport of pet coke in the 10th ward and to clear up some of the confusion caused by the flurry of recent news articles regarding KCBX's operations. Firstly, the news that KCBX will be removing the pet coke piles from it's original northern site is not a new development but rather an update. The plan along was to move and consolidate their northern operations to the southern site, but due to a number of delays, it has taken this long. Secondly, KCBX's announcement that it will no longer store pet coke in open piles on the ground but instead do direct transfer from rail to water brings a whole new set of concerns. Rail cars full of pet coke will remain uncovered, and if parked for any length of time could release particulate matter into the air and the community. Might not direct transfer require an increase in vehicle and vessel traffic too. And why should KCBX have until 2016 to operate with open piles when there will be no major construction