FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts
Michael Hansen, GASP
[email protected]
205-746-4666
GASP Responds to Health Department Complaint Against Bluestone Coke
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Today, the Jefferson County Department of Health filed a complaint against Bluestone Coke in the Circuit Court of Jefferson County for numerous violations of its Air Pollution Control Rules and Regulations and the Alabama Air Pollution Control Act. JCDH also released a notice that it has denied Bluestone Coke’s Title V operating permit due to Bluestone’s “inability to operate its machines and equipment in compliance with the Regulations.”
In response to these developments, GASP Executive Director Michael Hansen released the following statement:
“GASP applauds the Health Department for taking these actions and recognizes them as important first steps towards justice. Bluestone Coke is a menace to the health and wellbeing of Harriman Park, Fairmont, and Collegeville residents. A coke plant has no business being in someone’s back yard.
“We also learned that Bluestone Coke has been operating without a business license from the City of Birmingham for the past two years, as required by law. The City of Birmingham must do its part now and enforce the law by fining Bluestone Coke the maximum amount allowed and shutting the plant down as a threat to public health that it is.
“We cannot take our foot off the pedal now. All applicable laws must be fully enforced. This plant must be shut down once and for all and residents who have suffered from its pollution for decades must be made whole, including demands for just and equitable relocation, remediation and redevelopment.”
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GASP is a nonprofit health advocacy organization based in Birmingham, Ala. Our mission is to advance healthy air and environmental justice in the greater-Birmingham area through education, advocacy, and collaboration. We strive to reduce exposure to air pollution, educate the public on the health risks associated with poor air quality, and encourage community leaders to serve as role models by advocating for clean air and clean energy. GASPgroup.org
