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EPA schedules hearing on coke conveyor system

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By Jessica Heffner, Staff Writer Updated 11:46 PM Monday, June 22, 2009

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public hearing July 6 to discuss a draft air permit that would allow AK Steel Corp. to install a new coke conveyor to move the raw material from the SunCoke plant site to its operations.

The hearing will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Middletown City Building Council Chambers, One Donham Plaza.

The conveyor system will allow AK to transport the coke from the end of the conveyor system of the nearby SunCoke coking facility to its new railcar and truck load-out stations. Several separate straight conveyors would make up AK’s proposed system, which would also make several turns between the AK Steel and SunCoke property lines and the end of the conveyor. From the conveyor, the coke would be moved about one-half mile to the steel mill itself, according to Heather Lauer, spokeswoman for the Ohio EPA.

The system and its transfer points will be totally enclosed, although minor air emissions are possible, Lauer said. Chutes at the end of the conveyor used to transfer coke to trucks or trains are also a minor source of air pollution, she said. According to the Ohio EPA, particulate emissions from the conveyor are calculated to be less than a ton per year.

The hearing is mostly in regard to the public interest centered around the SunCoke project and the transportation of the coke to AK’s operations, Lauer said.

Both the permit application and the draft air permit can be found online at www.epa.state.oh.us/pic/AKconveyorappfiles.pdf. In addition to testimony at the hearing, the Ohio EPA will accept written comments about the application through July 13. To submit, write to Mike Ploetz of the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services, 250 William Howard Taft Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219. Comments also may be faxed to (513) 946-7778.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jheffner@coxohio.com.

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