Chicago 'Petcoke' Handler Says It'll Enclose Piles

CHICAGO (AP) -- A company storing petroleum coke on Chicago's southeast side says it plans to build a huge structure to contain the grainy black piles and keep them from blowing around.

KCBX Terminals said Tuesday that it'll build a $120 million structure about 1,000 feet long, 200 feet wide and 100 feet tall to comply with a city requirement to enclose "petcoke."

Construction would begin next fall and take two years -- even though the city requires that petcoke piles be enclosed by 2016. The company is asking the city to waive that timeline.

Petcoke is a byproduct of oil refining often used as industrial fuel.

Many residents want the piles removed, saying they worry about their health. A proposed city ordinance would limit the amount of petcoke stored in Chicago.