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Welcome to Voices in the Dust––a living, community archive for action supporting current and future activists in the fight against coal dust pollution and for environmental justice in Southeast Newport News and Lambert's Point, Norfolk.

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Visual Table of Contents

Timeline of Key Events in Coal Dust Activism

1920s

• An article in Newport News' Daily Press describes the use of sprinklers to "minimize damage and discomfort arising from large quantities of coal dust in the air."

1950s

• The Garden-Shore Civic League wrote a letter to the City of Newport News complaining about coal dust pollution believed to be "uncombusted coal blown from the railways' two coal dumping piers."
• The City of Newport News hired a chemical engineering firm to measure the amount of coal in airborne particles, who found that at least in one location 45% of airborne dust was coal.
• The air monitoring study prompted the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Railroad Company to install equipment to create a water fog over the coal piers to suppress dust and led Newport News City Council to pass an air pollution ordinance.

1970s

• Jessie Rattley, the first Black mayor of Newport News, and other local leaders begin early discussions around coal dust mitigation.
• Linwood DeBrew and other community members begin organizing around coal dust pollution issues.

1980s

• The City of Newport News overturns its air pollution ordinance.
• Dust suppressing sprinkler systems are installed at coal terminals in response to community concerns.
• A significant increase in formal complaints about coal dust from local residents, including the first recorded complaint from Lambert's Point, Norfolk.
• The Virginia Air Pollution Control Board begins monitoring coal dust emissions and takes initial steps to regulate coal dust control.

1990s

• In 1990, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VA DEQ) is formally established, with coal dust regulation becoming a priority issue.
• Representative Dick Cranwell sponsors a bill requiring Norfolk Southern to report air quality and coal dust emissions.
• The 1993 RISE, Inc. v. Kay lawsuit challenges a landfill siting in King and Queen County citing environmental racism, further shaping the conversation around environmental justice in Virginia.

2000s

• The Southeast Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) Coalition, then led by Dr. Erica Holloman, Linwood DeBrew, and Angela Harris, intensifies organizing efforts around coal dust pollution and environmental racism in Southeast Newport News.
• In 2002, the Southeast CARE Coalition formally pushes for investigations into the health impacts of coal dust, collaborating with the U.S. EPA.

2010s

• The Southeast CARE Coalition and U.S. EPA report is released: A Collaborative Effort to Assess Environmental Health in Newport News, Virginia
• Increased activism around Lambert's Point under the slogan Cover the Coal, led by New Virginia Majority and the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, and supported by academic researchers like Dr. Anna Jeng from Old Dominion University, highlights the need for stronger air quality monitoring and regulatory measures.
• Planning grants are secured to explore solutions to coal dust impacts, and coal dust-related petitions are circulated.

2020s

• In 2020, the Virginia Environmental Justice Act is passed, with the state government committing to integrate environmental justice principles into decision-making.
• The VA DEQ secures funding for the Tidewater Air Monitoring Evaluation (TAME) to track coal dust levels in Southeast Newport News and Lambert's Point.
• The Repair Lab begins interviewing residents affected by coal dust pollution in Southeast Newport News and Lambert's Point, monitoring ambient dust concentrations, and sampling dust inside residents home to identify evidence of coal dust exposure.
• In 2024, Adrian Wood releases Crosswinds, a multi-episode podcast exploring the coal dust issues through the friendship of local activists, Lathaniel Kirts and Malcolm Jones.
• The Repair Lab and African American History Society of Newport News begin work on this digital archive documenting decades of coal dust activism and environmental justice efforts in Virginia, providing a historical record of community struggles and victories.

Evidence

Testimonials

• Coal Dust Complaints
• Interviews and Oral Histories
• News and Other Media

Research

• Air Monitoring (General)
• Air Monitoring (Local)
• Health Impacts: Particles and Coal Dust (General)
• Tidewater Air Monitoring Evaluation (TAME)
• VOICES Network: Voices Organizing In opposition to Coal dust with Environmental Sensing

Actors

Regulatory Agencies

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VA DEQ)
• Virginia Department of Health (VDH)
• Virginia Air Pollution Control Board

Government Bodies

• Local Governments
• Virginia State Legislature (Also Known as the General Assembly)
• Virginia Council on Environmental Justice (Formerly Known as the Environmental Justice Advisory Board)

Community and Activist Organizations

• East End Coalition
• Empower All
• New Virginia Majority
• Repair Lab
• Sierra Club Virginia Chapter
• Southeast CARE Coalition

Industries

• Railroads, Terminals, and Coal Companies

Solutions

• Chemical Dust Suppression: Sprinklers and Surfactants
• Covering the Train Cars and Dumpers
• Wind Fences, Domes, and Tree Barriers

Policy

• Federal and State Terminal Permits
• Joint Subcommittee Studying Measures to Reduce Emissions from Coal-Carrying Railroad Cars
• Local Regulations
• National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
• State Regulations

Organizing

• Activism Outside of Hampton Roads
• Campaigns and Initiatives in Hampton Roads
• Community Events

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