Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
A Black Mound of Canadian Oil Waste Is Rising Over Detroit
Last edited Sun May 19, 2013, 07:42 AM - Edit history (1)
WINDSOR, Ontario — Assumption Park gives residents of this city lovely views of the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit skyline. Lately they’ve been treated to another sight: a three-story pile of petroleum coke covering an entire city block on the other side of the Detroit River.
And no one knows quite what to do about it, except Koch Carbon, which owns it.
The company is controlled by Charles and David Koch, wealthy industrialists who back a number of conservative and libertarian causes including activist groups that challenge the science behind climate change. The company sells the high-sulfur, high-carbon waste, usually overseas, where it is burned as fuel.
The coke comes from a refinery alongside the river owned by Marathon Petroleum, which has been there since 1930. But it began refining exports from the Canadian oil sands — and producing the waste that is sold to Koch — only in November.
“What is really, really disturbing to me is how some companies treat the city of Detroit as a dumping ground,” said Rashida Tlaib, the Michigan state representative for that part of Detroit. “Nobody knew this was going to happen.” Almost 56 percent of Canada’s oil production is from the petroleum-soaked oil sands of northern Alberta, more than 2,000 miles north.
....
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/18/business/energy-environment/mountain-of-petroleum-coke-from-oil-sands-rises-in-detroit.html?_r=0
What phrase did Chris Hedges use? Oh, yeah, "Sacrifice Zones"
Sometimes I wonder if the Universe removed all the evil from the heart of one man and deposited it in the blacked souls of Charles and David Koch. Unfathomable Good, Unfathomable Evil.
10 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
The Bounty towels are always almost sold out and the Brawny stacks are almost untouched.
Could it possibly, possibly be word got out? 
Probably just kidding myself, but a man can dream, can't he?
Made my day
On edit:
It's shit like this that makes DU so addictive
