The Erie Coke plant that has been at the center of a protracted fight with the Department of Environmental Protection --- is now closed.

That word is coming down from company leaders.

Some of the plant's more than 100 workers found that out when they showed up to work Thursday morning, only to be turned away at the plant gates.

Erie News Now spoke with Bill Hull, an Erie Coke employee of 8-years. He tell us that plant security confirmed the news to him when he arrived at the plant around 6 a.m. He says only maintenance workers have been asked to stay, in order to purge the ovens. 

Erie News Now has been closely following this story for months. This is all connected to numerous air and water pollution violations.

The state denied a request to renew the chemical company's operating permit. It was supposed to go into a local courtroom to be decided next year.

More recently, the City of Erie told plant leaders they could no longer put their waste-water into the municipal sewer system.