Cedar Rapids Weather
Car Dealership Blames Coal Piles for Closure
An East Dubuque car dealer says he'd rather close his doors than continue exposing employees to what could be harmful dust.
That dust comes from a pile of coal at I.E.I. Barge Services, a holding station a belonging to Alliant Energy. Eighteen months ago Alliant told us it installed sprinklers to keep the dust down. Neighbors are far from satisfied, and they're suing. Rick Koehler says coal dust covers every car, truck and R.V. in his lot at Vroom Auto Mall. Vroom President Rick Koehler said, "The stuff is on the sidewalks,its in our carpeting, our window sills, it's in our furnace system." Employees say they washed the vehicles last Friday. Now three days later they are covered in coal, but the dust isn't just outside. Koehler says it's also in the building's air ducts, which terrifies some employees, who are choosing to wear face masks while at work. Megan Koehler said, "I read the reports and why put yourself in more risk than you have to." Rick Koehler's lawyer hired two environmental scientists to analyze the blowing coal. Their report said coal particles in the air are a health risk for Vroom's employees. Rick said, "We feel the moral obligation to our employees that we can't ask them to work here, I have to close my business because of this." Now the Vroom Auto Mall is suing the barge service and its owner, Alliant Energy. An Alliant Spokesperson issued this statement to TV-9: "I.E.I. Barge is and has always been responsible to environmental concerns. I.E.I. has an excellent environmental compliance record and remains committed to keeping it that way." The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has investigated the situation and says I.E.I. is not in any violation. The dealership will close Sept. 1. The owners said they had no plans to close before reading the results of the study and they say the dealership could re-open if the coal problem is resolved. More Good Stuff |
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