The fight over petcoke on Chicago’s southeast side. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP It’s not easy to take on a wealthy, multi-national corporation and win. Especially for residents of Chicago’s struggling southeast side. But that’s exactly what’s happening on the banks of the Calumet River, where the steel plants that used to give residents of a mostly Hispanic neighborhood access to a middle-class lifestyle were replaced, nearly two years ago, with black dust called petroleum coke (“petcoke”) piled five or six stories tall. The piles of petcoke—a byproduct of the oil refining process—belong to KCBX Terminals, owned by the conservative billionaire Koch Brothers. The piles have been roiling area residents ever since the black dust of mostly carbon and sulfur began blowing into the backyards, playgrounds and neighborhood parks. It blackens skies and leaves behind a sticky residue, raising concerns about aggravated asthma and other health issues. Read the rest at The Huffington Post. Link: How One Community Is Kicking The Koch Brothers’ Harmful Black Dust Out Of Their Neighborhood

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How One Community Is Kicking The Koch Brothers’ Harmful Black Dust Out Of Their Neighborhood