Anti-Coal Dust Activism Outside of Hampton Roads

Coal Kills Baltimore

Baltimore, Maryland has the second largest national coal exports, with over 7 million tons exported annually. This is only second to Norfolk, Virginia which exports over 9 million tons annually. Baltimore’s coal export industry faces differing degrees of welcomeness by city officials and residents. On one hand, coal is viewed as “an important commodity to the port”. However, environmental activists and health-conscious community members see the ports’ expansion as a source of unjust pollution to the south Baltimore community.

Community Testimonies

Many of the Baltimore residents that face a higher risk of coal exposure are the people who live and work near the location of the terminals and railroads (CSX and Norfolk Southern). Several oral histories and interviews have documented Baltimore resident’s personal experiences with the terminals and the CSX railroad specifically. One resident who lives less than a block from the CSX coal facility recounts seeing coal dust “[fly] off the tops of their cars” when leaving the port. She testifies that coal dust and soot has coated her home interior completely, from her furniture to her window seals, even turning her white rug completely black in just under four years. Another Baltimore who lives and directs a community garden just blocks from the CSX coal export recalls watching large swaths of dust blow off uncovered coal dust piles that are the size of a football field. Both testimonies allude to these coal terminals being the main contributor to the unusually large concentration of respiratory illness within communities closest to the terminal.

2021 Explosion

(Explosion at CSX facility in Curtis Bay shakes residents, workers nearby)

On December 30, 2021, an explosion at the CSX coal terminal heightened existing concerns about coal exports in Baltimore, especially for Curtis Bay residents. For years, residents have expressed their concerns about risks to public health and safety that the coal air pollution poses. Many remarks harp on the consistent stench of coal and the constant dust film that covers cars, kiddy pools, and barbeque grills. These frustrations and concerns came to a head when a supposed “propane tank explosion at the CSX Coal Pier in Curtis Bay” frightened residents with a loud “boom”, accompanied by many shattered windows. Though no injuries were reported, several residents and community organizations took this opportunity to call for the removal of the CSX coal facility, citing long-held concerns about air quality., respiratory health, and the overwhelming number of similar pollutant industries located in Baltimore.

Despite receiving more than $60 million for upgrades between 2017 and 2022, the CSX Curtis Bay facility admitted “inadequate ventilation” and a lack of methane monitoring led to the explosion. As CSX sought ways to improve on their safety measures and mend community relations, the only tangible changes that occurred was a one month shutdown of the facility and a $120,000 OSHA fine— a seemingly mild slap on the wrist, considering the cost of community health and safety.

Maryland state officials have failed to address the concerns of the Baltimore community. After the explosion, when asked if dangerous fumes or particulates were emitted, the Maryland Dept. of the Environment announced that they would allow the railroad companies to track and monitor emissions. Residents appear to be struggling for autonomy when it comes to the economic pursuits of their community, as the neighborhood is also home to a medical waste incinerator, a rendering plant, various chemical factories, and a sewage treatment plant, and the Quarantine Road Landfill.

The Investigation

In July 2022, the results following the investigation into the CSX facility explosion, entitled Curtis Bay Piers Coal Facility Explosion Investigation: Cause & Origin Evaluation, was published. GHD, an environmental and business consulting company, surveyed the Curtis Bay neighborhood and found residual coal dust deposits up to 12 blocks west of the facility. These findings coincide with likely location of coal traveling through the facilities escape tunnel and open feeder holes, especially when aided by the wind. GHD also conducted coal dust samples from the facilities conveyor belts to understand where combustion may have begun. They found that entrained methane from the coal was the source of the initial combustion in a localized flammable atmosphere, and subsequent combustions were fueled by an increased density of airborne coal dust located within the facility's North Reclaim Tunnel. This localized flammable atmosphere, in which the explosion began, was aided by significantly low rates of ventilation. Adequate ventilation allows for the coal to efficiently dissipate and disperse from the internal tunnel, and with a reduced rate of dispersal, methane can build to dangerous levels. Reflective of the investigation, CSX applied GHD's investigative finding into their redesign of the North Reclaim Tunnel, which included "monitoring devices, higher air flow, additional water sprays, skirting of conveyors, grounding of equipment and installation of electrical fixtures to meet appropriate electrical codes."

Activism

Though CSX boasts about “setting new standards in environmental stewardship” with a $60 million investment into Curtis Bay, the community has yet to be convinced of the statements authenticity. Invested environmental activists and long-time Curtis Bay residents have long opposed the establishment of CSX. Principally, activists are angry with CSX at failing to keep coal dust from becoming airborne as it travels from Virginia Appalachian regions by train. The only existing measure of containing the coal consist of spraying coal dust mountains with water to keep them in place. The short-term vision of the Curtis Bay community is demanding CSX pay for the environmental damages it has inflicted, including providing medical relief funds to ease the unyielding burden of the less than 3,000 residents. As for their long-term goals, community activists want CSX to discontinue exporting coal altogether and shift to cleaner energy sources. In 2022, citizens of Curtis Bay filed a $5 million class-action lawsuit against CSX following the explosion. Greg Sawtell, one co-president of the Community of Curtis Bay Association, expressed his support for the lawsuit saying, “It’s a breaking point. If you don’t step up and respond when a facility of that size literally blows up in your backyard and threatens your life, I don’t think we can say we have a community, and the concern is we won’t have a community if we don’t take a stand right now.”

Solutions

Among the many cries of outrage, residents have produced many suggestions to the city for improving the issue of pollution. For instance, directly after the explosion, the Sierra Club and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) called upon the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to require CSX to monitor coal-related pollutants and make this information accessible to the public. They also called upon MDE to set “appropriate pollution limits” to protect the health and safety of Curtis Bay residents. According to Diana Dascalu-Joffe, who is the Senior General Counsel at CCAN, the necessary pollution limits would need to "set the strictest standards possible" in order to seriously address the "industrial pollution burden" forced upon Curtis Bay residents for over a century.

No Coal in Oakland

[coming soon]

No Coal in Richmond

[coming soon]

https://nocoalinoakland.info/richmond-coal-exports-to-end-by-2026-ej-advocates-celebrate-agreement/

https://earthjustice.org/press/2021/richmond-city-council-and-levin-terminal-reach-monumental-settlement-to-phase-out-handling-of-coal-and-petcoke

Oak Creek

[see 'Wind Fence' doc]

https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/south/news/oak-creek/2019/02/13/we-energies-build-large-windscreen-combat-coal-dust-oak-creek/2856580002/

https://racinecountyeye.com/2020/01/24/oak-creek-neighbors-renew-coal-dust-concerns-after-fence-falls/

https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2018/01/clean-power-coalition-demands-better-air-monitoring-we-energies

https://racinecountyeye.com/2019/09/25/public-notice-on-we-energies-oak-creek-plant-effective-october-2019/

Roda, Virginia

[coming soon]

Documents

[upload CSX GHD investigation here!]