More than a year and a half since Erie Coke closed, you may have forgotten about the site, but its owners have not. They are trying to make money off it while you pay to clean it up.

When Erie Coke closed in Dec. 2019, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) stepped in, knowing the land would be badly polluted.

The job was so big, the DEP had to go to the federal government - the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - for help.

Since then, they have spent millions in taxpayer dollars removing things like mercury-laden water, asbestos-covered pipes and corrosive chemicals simply abandoned in the plant's on-site lab.

However, Erie Coke Corporation still owns the site. As we pay to clean it up, its owners have looked into cutting timber on the land and keeping the money for the company.

It's not just frustrating but also an environmental problem.

"When you have erosion and no trees, there's going to be stormwater runoff," said Tom Decker, community relations officer for the Pennsylvania DEP. "If we're not certain of the pollution levels that could exist here, there is potential for that pollution to make its way to Lake Erie in storm runoff."

Erie News Now reporter Ethan Kibbe has been studying the coke plant and its cleanup for more than a month. He will answer your questions about what is going on at the site and what work still needs to be done coming up Wednesday on Erie News Now at 5 and 6.