Coal dust complaints
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 1970s. 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 the dust incessantly.
We count least 20 independent complaints by residents before City Councils in 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 at least four instances of formal complaints reported to the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board.
These complaints serve as evidence of coal dust impacts over time and are a starting point for tracing institutional responsiveness and/or negligence.
Documents
Air Pollution Control Board
Air Pollution Control Board, Meeting minutes (Bev Mann's complaint), 1987
Complaint from Lambert's Point, received by the Air Pollution Control Board on January 6, 1993
VA DEQ, Submitted coal dust complaints,1990–2006
Newport News Planning Commission, Complaint during public comment, November 3, 2021
2021 Southeast Community Meeting - individual coal dust complaint
Newport News City Council, Complaints during public comment, 2023
Repair Lab, Wind Fence and Dome Report, August 2024