Chicago 'Petcoke' Handler Says It'll Enclose Piles
CHICAGO (AP) -- A company storing petroleum coke on Chicago's southeast side says it plans to build a huge structure to contain the grainy black piles and keep them from blowing around.
KCBX Terminals said Tuesday that it'll build a $120 million structure about 1,000 feet long, 200 feet wide and 100 feet tall to comply with a city requirement to enclose "petcoke."
Construction would begin next fall and take two years -- even though the city requires that petcoke piles be enclosed by 2016. The company is asking the city to waive that timeline.
Petcoke is a byproduct of oil refining often used as industrial fuel.
Many residents want the piles removed, saying they worry about their health. A proposed city ordinance would limit the amount of petcoke stored in Chicago.
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