DTE ordered to pay $100M penalty for violating Clean Air Act

A federal court ruled DTE and EES Coke-- its River-Rouge-based raw-materials manufacturing facility-- will have to pay an $100 million civil penalty to the U.S. Department of Treasury. Attorneys say thousands of tons of sulfur dioxide emissions from the Zug Island plant caused potentially fatal health issues for residents in River Rouge and Southwest Detroit. Those include asthma, Alzheimer's Disease and increased cancer risk. The Sierra Club, a nonprofit environmental activism organization, helped several of the victims. WWJ's Christina McDaniel spoke with Sierra Club Michigan Chapter Director Elayne Coleman. DTE released the following statement: "We are extremely disappointed in the court’s ruling and its negative implications on the domestic supply of coke to the U.S. steel industry. We have been anticipating this order and are eager to make our appeal to the 6th Circuit Court. We remain committed to compliance and have been operating within the limits of the valid original state permit – both today and during the time period in question."