"Environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit in New Orleans on Tuesday against United Bulk's coal export facility in Plaquemines Parish, alleging the facility is polluting the Mississippi River.

In their suit, the nonprofits Gulf Restoration Network, Louisiana Environmental Action Network and the Sierra Club allege that the terminal has discharged hazardous coal runoff and petroleum coke into the river everyday that it has operated for at least the past five years, and that those discharges have violated the federal Clean Water Act.

In a statement, United Bulk said it has already invested $40 million of a planned $80 million in upgrades using the latest technology in safety and environmental impact."

Benjamin Alexander-Bloch reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune March 18, 2014. [2]