DETROIT, MI - Perhaps it is not surprising that billionaire shipping magnate Manuel "Matty" Moroun owns a property where large black mounds of petroleum coke have begun to build up and attracted national attention.

The land is, after all, just downriver from the Ambassador Bridge, which he also owns. In fact, Moroun is one of the largest private property owners in the city of Detroit.

But apparently he, like many environmentalists, politicians and regular Detroiters and Canadians alike, is also concerned with the growing piles of oil sands refining waste byproduct that are lining the banks of the Detroit River.



It seems he also takes issue with being called a "bad neighbor."

Detroit Free Press editorial page editor Stephen Henderson did just that, in a May 20 piece called, "Like a bad neighbor, the Moroun family is there."

Here's an ecerpt:

The petroleum coke piles along the Detroit River have been produced by Marathon Petroleum refinery but are owned by Koch Carbon. Koch Carbon is run by Charles and David Koch, conservative lobbyists and businessmen who are well-known for questioning the science behind climate change.

The piles are the result of Marathon refining Canada's growing exports of oil sands from Alberta and selling the waste product to Koch since November, according to the The New York Times, which said in a report earlier this month that Canada plans to increase tar sands exports to the United States via the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

In an e-mail to Henderson from Michael Samhat, on behalf of Moroun, he acknowledged owning one of the properties where the petroleum coke has begun to pile up, but denied any involvement.

What's more, Moroun's camp said, it is trying to contact Norfolk Southern, which has been leasing the property and then apparently sub-leasing it to Detroit Bulk Storage, over "environmental concerns both on and off-site."

Here are the points Samhat, who is president of Crown Enterprises Inc., sent on behalf of Moroun:

"We do own one of the subject properties, it was purchased in 2007

Our interest in the property is subject to a perpetual lease with Norfolk Southern, dating back to late 19th century

While we are not certain, it appears that Norfolk has a sub-lease or some contract with Detroit Bulk

Detroit Bulk is handling the shipment of the Petroleum Coke which has been sold by Marathon Oil

In the purchase of the property the lease was assigned along with rental payments

These payments have not changed relative to any contracts that Norfolk has entered into, no revenue sharing or percentage rent

We have been in contact with DEQ and City of Detroit Building / Safety and they are aware of who the parties involved are

City of Detroit Building / Safety are requiring Detroit Bulk to apply for permits

We have absolutely zero involvement with the seller, purchaser or shipper of the product at this location

We have been in contact with Norfolk Southern and shared our own environmental concerns both on and off site. We are researching whether this non rail use is a violation under the original agreements"

Around Detroit, Moroun has a reputation as a ruthless businessman. He was responsible for a multi-million dollar campaign aimed at derailing plans for the New International Trade Crossing bridge between Detroit and Canada - a project the Canadians have agreed to pay for - because it would suck revenues from his Ambassador Bridge, the only privately owned border crossing in the U.S. Many of the properties he owns have been left vacant, most notably the iconic Michigan Central Station. Although smatterings of work have been going on in that building, Moroun's intentions for it remain a mystery.

Meanwhile, some politicians locally and in Washington have begun to highlight the petroleum coke piles as evidence against the proposed 1,700-miles Keystone XL pipeline.

While Keystone XL has been touted by proponents as a way for the U.S. to have greater energy independence, opponents say it will largely be a tool for exporting tar sands, especially to countries such as China. Environmentalists say that it will push Gulf Coast refineries to refine more tar sands into petroleum coke.

In March, environmentalists were dealt a blow when the State Department said in a 2000-page report that it could find no conclusive enviromental reason the pipeline should not be built, even though the tar sands it is expected to ship converts to oil that generates 5 percent to 19 percent more greenhouse gas emissions than other crude.