Complaints
Residents' complaints and terminal inspection reports serve as evidence of coal dust impacts over time and are a starting point for tracing institutional responsiveness and/or negligence.
Complaints in the Public Record
Residents and business owners have made formal complaints about coal dust in the public record to government representatives since at least the 1950s. An article in the Daily Press in 1954 describes complaints by the Garden-Shore Civic League to the City of Newport News regarding "smoke and particles" that settle in the Christopher Shores-Stuart Garden area. League members believed most of the particles to be "uncombusted coal blown from the railways' two coal dumping piers."[1] Complaints cover a range of impacts, including health concerns, expenses for added maintenance and coal dust removal costs, and the nuisance of needing to clean dust incessantly.
We count least 20 complaints by residents before the City Councils of Newport News and Norfolk since 2023 and many more submitted to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VA DEQ) since the agency formed in 1990. Prior to that, there are also multiple instances of formal complaints reported to the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board.
Terminal Inspections in Response to Complaints
Some coal dust complaints triggered a visit to the terminal from an inspector from the VA DEQ, with the original complaint described in the inspection report. General terminal inspection reports are also included here.
Documents
Air Pollution Control Board
Southeast Newport News
- Complaint from Ms. Gerline Avston (Massey Terminal), May 9, 1983
- Complaint from Mrs. Gloria Tabb (Massey Terminal), May 9, 1983
- Complaint from Ms. Maurice Cary (Massey Terminal), May 9, 1983
- Open Public Comment Regarding a Proposed Coal Terminal in Nearby Portsmouth, June 17, 1985
- Mr. James A. Comyns, Portsmouth Properties, PTC Inc.: "Since you may not be aware, we would like to bring to your attention that there currently exist two (2) relatively new open coal storage export facilities in Newport News, Virginia (Massey and Dominion Terminals). The reason we mention this, is that we have experienced a great deal of trouble from fugitive coal dust emissions from the open storage piles of these facilities. Complaints have been numerous, and indeed the local residents around these two terminals have been extremely vocal about the situation, both to us and the press."
Lambert's Point
- Air Pollution Control Board Meeting Minutes Include a Complaint from Mrs. Beverly Mann, 1977–1987 (Digitized)
- Complaint from a Lambert's Point Resident, June 9, 1992
- Complaint from a Lambert's Point Resident, January 6, 1993
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Southeast Newport News
- Carol S. Brown, Newport News Resident: "Coal dust covers much of the Southeast Community of Newport News. The neighborhoods suffer from black dust on the properties which is always airborne and there is a high incidence of lung disorders including asthma by residents in the zip code. I have been diagnosed and treated for severe asthmas since coming to this area 7 years ago. Just run your hand across your car and you can see the coal dust! It's like a coating of pollen in the spring."
- Warning Letter in Response to a Resident's Complaint (Kinder Morgan Bulk Terminals), April 12, 2019
- Communication Regarding the Warning Letter (April 12, 2019) in Response to a Resident's Complaint (Kinder Morgan Bulk Terminals), April 15, 2019
- Full Compliance Evaluation with Site Visit Air Inspection Report, November 4, 2013
- Full Compliance Evaluation with Site Visit Air Inspection Report, August 27, 2018
- Email Describing a Coal Dust Complaint, July 31, 2019
Lambert's Point
- Air Inspection Report in Response to a Resident's Complaint of Visible Emissions in Lambert's Point, January 17, 1997
- Air Inspection Report in Response to a Complaint Made by Mrs. Smiley in Lambert's Point on September 25, 2002
- Air Inspection Report in Response to a Resident's Complaint in Lambert's Point, January 5, 2005
- Notice of Violation Case Closure Memorandum, June 5, 2008
- Targeting Data Long Form Inspection of Norfolk & Western Railroad, May 21, 1993
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), May 16, 1991
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), June 4 and 11 and July 9, 1991
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), July 2, 1992
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), May 13, 1993
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), October 13, 1993
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), May 27, 1994
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), July 1, 1994
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), January 24, 1995
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), November 8, 1995
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), June 24, 1996
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), August 23, 1996
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), June 16, 1997
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), December 3, 1997
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), June 14 and 15, 1999
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), May 15 and 24, 2000
- Source Inspection Report Form (Lambert's Point), September 17, 2006
City of Newport News
- Newport News to Analyze Smoke and Soot Nuisance in Garden-Shores Sector, Daily Press, April 4, 1954
- City Planning Commission Meeting Minutes, City of Newport News, May 2, 2018
- City Planning Commission Meeting Minutes, City of Newport News, January 6, 2021
- City Planning Commission Meeting Minutes, City of Newport News, November 3, 2021
Complaints compiled by the Repair Lab
References
- ↑ Newport News to Analyze Smoke and Soot Nuisance in Garden-Shores Sector, Daily Press, April 4, 1954.