The owner of the embattled Tonawanda Coke plant was ordered Monday to shut down a similar plant in Erie, Pa., by Pennsylvania regulators, who charged the company with violating the state’s air quality laws.

The order, issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, gives Erie Coke three days to shut down after revoking the foundry’s air quality permit in a move that state officials described as a “last resort.”

Later Monday, the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board granted Erie Coke’s request for a stay of the order until next Tuesday, according to Freda Tarbell of the Department of Environmental Protection. A hearing is scheduled Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

Pennsylvania and federal environmental officials have repeatedly cited concerns about emissions from the Erie Coke plant, which is owned by J. D. Crane. His Tonawanda Coke plant also has been reprimanded and fined for a wide range of environmental violations cited by state and federal agencies over the past nine months.

Kelly Burch, northwest regional director for the Pennsylvania agency, said that for the past several years, “Inspections have revealed a pattern of defiant behavior and complete disregard for the health of our citizens and the quality of our natural resources. Our inspections indicate that the coke ovens at the facility are cracked and emitting pollutants.

“Under the direction of Mr. Crane, the company has demonstrated a lack of intent or desire to take the corrective actions needed to bring his operations into compliance and protect our environment. Their failure to act made our order unavoidable.”

Burch said he hopes the order will prompt Erie Coke to make the needed repairs so it can reopen without violating air quality laws.

A Crane representative declined to comment to The Buffalo News.

Pennsylvania officials fined Erie Coke $6.1 million in 2008 for environmental violations that the company is appealing.

In March, the plant’s 58 coke ovens, which date back to the 1940s and 1950s, released a plume of noxious black smoke that spread over downtown Erie and prompted further air quality monitoring by the state environmental agency.

The facility has consistently operated out of compliance with its state permit and environmental regulations since early February 2007, the agency said.

At Tonawanda Coke on River Road, the company was ordered by the federal Environmental Protection Agency in April to correct deficient operating procedures and explain two releases of coke oven gas in the past two years. Earlier this year, the EPA and state Department of Environmental Conservation issued several enforcement actions for environmental violations.

Tonawanda Coke also faces $48,500 in fines announced earlier this month by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration for violations related to worker safety at its plant.