TONAWANDA, NY – A supervised shutdown of Tonawanda Coke’s facility near River Road in the town began in earnest on Monday, with the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) promising to closely scrutinize the operation.
Perhaps noticeable to the public, according to the DEC, will be the process of purging and flaring coke oven gas out of Tonawanda Coke’s battery and piping system using a combination of nitrogen and steam, while the battery ovens are also emptied of coke.
In a statement, the DEC reported, “This process will involve visible flames coming from the plant and DEC’s onsite inspectors will ensure workers and the then surrounding community are protected.”
Members of the DEC Police were noticeable outside the plant on Monday.
The Chief of the nearby Sheridan Park Fire District told WGRZ-TV that while state officials have kept him informed of the process, there has not been any call for his personnel to stand by for any of the operation, which is expected to take most of the week.
Despite the loss of between 70 and 100 jobs, and $70,000 in annual tax payments to the town, its Supervisor on Monday called this a “good day”.
"The site has to be cleaned up the best that it can," said Town of Tonawanda Supervisor Joe Emminger, who along with other elected officials, indicated Tonawanda Coke had long worn out its welcome due to numerous environmental violations which landed the company in court and eventually forced its decision to shut down.
In a statement released Monday, the Company said that, “largely due to the financial obligations of its criminal sentence, significant and unanticipated expenses, the loss of a funding source, and the multiple and coordinated enforcement actions brought by various government agencies, Tonawanda Coke cannot continue operations."
Emminger said that the site, when eventually cleaned up (a process which could take several years) will likely never be cleansed to the point of "residential community standards” but perhaps “at least to a commercial standard."
In the meantime, Emminger said he was “thinking outside the box” when on Monday, in response to a question posed by 2 On Your Side, he suggested the site should be considered as a future home for a stadium for the Buffalo Bills.
Emminger noted the footprint of Tonawanda Coke (160 acres) is of the proper size for a stadium, and is adjacent to the junction of Interstates 290 and 190, in an area that might not be suitable to other development.
We will have more on this story tonight on Channel 2 News at 5 and 6 .