美国最大的铸造焦炭生产商ABC Coke正在过期许可证下运营。1该公司由德鲁蒙德煤炭公司所有，2023年向阿拉巴马州申请空气许可证续期，但直至2026年1月才收到草案许可证。1环保组织南方环保法律中心代表大伯明翰污染防治联盟（GASP）向杰斐逊县巡回法院申请诉讼，要求地方卫生官员处理这一申请。1
该工厂长期存在的污染问题引发严重健康隐患。1监测数据显示，塔兰特社区的苯污染水平比职业接触限制高60%以上，是职业卫生指引建议的14倍。1在北伯明翰和塔兰特地区，癌症风险增加高达每10,000人中1.7例。1ABC Coke曾因苯污染违反《清洁空气法》，于2019年支付775,000美元民事罚款。1
监管环境近期发生变化。特朗普政府2025年宣布对焦炭炉操作者豁免拜登时期的栅栏线空气质量监测规则两年。1杰斐逊县卫生部门称正在等待特朗普政府环保局的"监管评估"。1
ABC Coke, the nation's largest producer of foundry coke and owned by Drummond Coal Company, is operating under an expired air permit in Birmingham, Alabama.1 The company submitted an application to renew its air permit in 2023, but a draft permit was not issued until January 2026.1 Environmental advocacy groups, including the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Greater Birmingham pollution prevention alliance GASP, have filed suit in Jefferson County Circuit Court demanding that local health officials take action on the long-stalled renewal application.1
The facility has a documented history of violations and poses significant health risks to surrounding communities. In 2019, ABC Coke paid a civil penalty of $775,000 for violating the Clean Air Act through benzene pollution.1 Current monitoring data reveals alarming contamination levels in nearby Tarrant, where benzene pollution exceeds occupational exposure limits by more than 60 percent and reaches levels 14 times higher than occupational health guidance recommends.1 In the North Birmingham and Tarrant areas, the increased cancer risk attributable to this pollution is estimated at as high as 1.7 cases per 10,000 people.1
The enforcement action comes amid a shift in federal policy. In 2025, the Trump administration granted a two-year exemption for coke oven operators from Biden-era fence-line air quality monitoring requirements.1 The Jefferson County Health Department has stated it is awaiting a "regulatory review" from the Trump administration's Environmental Protection Agency.1
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