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The petroleum coke a few months ago started to be produced in greater amounts at the nearby Marathon refinery in Detroit. The refinery completed a massive $2-billion facility upgrade last fall allowing it for the first time to process heavy Canadian crude oil brought in by pipeline from the Alberta oil sands.

Although not officially listed as a toxic or hazardous product, petcoke can contain heavy metals or sulphur found inside oil sands crude, according to experts.

MDEQ officials have continued to keep a watch on the petroleum coke, focusing of late on how the oil byproduct is being loaded on to freighters since the shipping season began about 10 days ago.

The consent agreement between the state and the city of Detroit grants Bing some powers that are normally granted only to an emergency manager. Specifically, a month after the agreement was signed, Bing gained the power to impose union contracts, but only on unions whose current contracts have expired. This is why July 1 is important: About 80 percent of the city’s union contracts expire that day.

State law says that if the petition is certified, PA 4 is suspended until the vote.

The full court declined to do that, and the appeals court told the board of canvassers to go back and certify the Stand Up For Democracy petition, with the effect of placing the question on the ballot.

Said Obama at another stop: "It takes ordinary citizens to bring about change, who are committed to keep fighting and keep pushing, and keep inching this country closer to our highest ideals."

OSGATA and company finally got their day in court on Jan. 31. Approximately 200 farmers and supporters showed up in front of the Federal District Court in Manhattan for opening arguments. Occupy Wall Street’s food justice working group helped organize the rally, though they are not plaintiffs in the suit. “We’re part of OWS, which is all about corporate consolidation, and you can’t discuss that without addressing agriculture,” says Corbin Laedlein, a member of the working group.

idea of a suit to the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT), a group that wants to change how patent law works in the U.S., and PUBPAT took on the case pro bono

if Hantz comes in, it will be like the Walmart of urban farming, and will annihilate the small producers who are dependent on restaurants to buy the high-end produce so they can run these socially beneficial programs.

Bob LaBrant of Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, the group opposing the ballot initiative, said an appeal will be filed with the Michigan Supreme Court in the next one to two weeks. LaBrant said today’s ruling was not unexpected.If the repeal question is certified for the ballot, the emergency manager law will be suspended until the Nov. 6 election. But for that to happen, the State Board of Canvassers would have to meet and act as the appeals court has ordered. LaBrant said an appeal will be filed and the order will be stayed before the question is certified.

it believed that earlier case was wrongly decided.