Coal dust 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 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.
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
- Air Pollution Control Board, meeting minutes (Mrs. Beverly Mann's comments), 1977–1987 (digitized)
- Complaint from Lambert's Point, received by the Air Pollution Control Board on June 9, 1992
- Complaint from Lambert's Point, received by the Air Pollution Control Board on January 6, 1993
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
- VA DEQ Source Inspection Report Form, May 15 and 24, 2000
- Targeting Data Long Form Inspection of Norfolk & Wester Railroad, May 21, 1993
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