Jefferson County Department of Health in Alabama has levied USD 925,000 fine against Bluestone Coke that has released hazardous emissions and pollutants on the surrounding majority-Black communities of Fairmont, Collegeville and Harriman Park in North Birmingham for years. Joined by the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution, Bluestone Coke agreed per the consent decree filed to pay a USD 925,000 penalty and submit to new monitoring requirements for potential reopening. Half of the funds received in the fine will go to the creation of green spaces, clearing blight from the area, and environmental projects for the benefit of the communities adjacent to Bluestone’s plantIf the plant were to reopen, the county health department mandates that two monitors be installed on the fence line for five years in order to monitor levels of sulfur dioxide, a toxic gas harmful to the human repertory system. The plant is required to hire an outside auditor to monitor compliance and develop a Corrective Action Plan, among other measures, according to the consent agreement.Bluestone Coke owned by the family of West Virginia Governor Mr Jim Justice has been producing Foundry Coke for 100 years. The Bluestone Coke facility produces foundry coke using coal from the Bluestone owned coal mines located in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky. The Bluestone plant has remained cold-idle since October of 2021, meaning all production has ceased and the heat has been removed from the coke ovens, allowing for cancer-causing chemical fumes and other toxins to leak from the facility into the surrounding area.
Jefferson County Department of Health in Alabama has levied USD 925,000 fine against Bluestone Coke that has released hazardous emissions and pollutants on the surrounding majority-Black communities of Fairmont, Collegeville and Harriman Park in North Birmingham for years. Joined by the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution, Bluestone Coke agreed per the consent decree filed to pay a USD 925,000 penalty and submit to new monitoring requirements for potential reopening. Half of the funds received in the fine will go to the creation of green spaces, clearing blight from the area, and environmental projects for the benefit of the communities adjacent to Bluestone’s plantIf the plant were to reopen, the county health department mandates that two monitors be installed on the fence line for five years in order to monitor levels of sulfur dioxide, a toxic gas harmful to the human repertory system. The plant is required to hire an outside auditor to monitor compliance and develop a Corrective Action Plan, among other measures, according to the consent agreement.Bluestone Coke owned by the family of West Virginia Governor Mr Jim Justice has been producing Foundry Coke for 100 years. The Bluestone Coke facility produces foundry coke using coal from the Bluestone owned coal mines located in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky. The Bluestone plant has remained cold-idle since October of 2021, meaning all production has ceased and the heat has been removed from the coke ovens, allowing for cancer-causing chemical fumes and other toxins to leak from the facility into the surrounding area.
