W. Pa. coke plant stops productionPITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh-area coke plant that’s in the process of shutting down has stopped production.Detroit-based DTE Energy said last month that it’s closing the Shenango Inc. plant due to declining demand in the North American steel industry.A United Steelworkers said the Neville Island plant, which stopped production Wednesday, has started losing employees. The plant is expected to shut down completely in April.The plant produced blast furnace coke and related products for steelmaking. It employed 173 workers.DTE officials have said affected employees will remain on payroll for 60 days after the plant closes. The company will then offer severance packages.DTE will consolidate its coking operations at a facility in Michigan.

Suit will challenge pipeline rejectionHOUSTON — The Canadian company that proposed the Keystone XL oil pipeline filed a lawsuit over the U.S. government’s rejection of the project and announced it plans to file a second legal challenge that will seek more than $15 billion in damages.TransCanada filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday in Houston alleging President Barack Obama’s decision in November to kill the pipeline exceeded his power under the U.S. Constitution.The company also announced the same day that it will submit a separate petition seeking the billions in damages, alleging the U.S. breached its obligations under the North American Free Trade Agreement.In November, Obama quashed the pipeline, declaring it would have undercut U.S. efforts to clinch a global climate change deal at the center of his environmental legacy. The president said he agreed with a State Department conclusion that Keystone wouldn’t advance U.S. national interests.