Richmond, California

Overview

Richmond, California is home to the Levin-Richmond Terminal Corporation, a privately owned bulk commodities terminal located along the San Francisco Bay, less than one mile from residential neighborhoods. Beginning in 2013, the Levin-Richmond Terminal became a major West Coast coal export terminal, handling coal transported by rail from mines in Utah to international markets. By the late 2010s, Richmond and Stockton, California were the only major West Coast cities still exporting coal, making them a focal point for community and climate activism. The Levin-Richmond Terminal has claimed they use modern technology to mitigate coal dust emissions and adhere to strict regulations on air and water quality. The company has publicly committed to transitioning away from coal toward non-fossil fuel commodities by 2026. However, residents living downwind of the Levin-Richmond Terminal and along rail corridors that serve it has raised alarms about coal dust pollution, and coal handling operations and export volumes have increased.

Coal exports through the Levin-Richmond Terminal rose rapidly between 2013 and 2019, reaching approximately one million tons per year. This increase coincided with a broader decline in domestic coal demand in the U.S., driven by cheaper natural gas and shifting energy markets. As domestic demand for coal fell, coal producers sought international buyers, which increased pressure on West Coast ports to expand their export capacity.

This brought visible changes to Richmond neighborhoods near the Levin-Richmond Terminal. Residents reported visible petcoke and coal dust on cars, homes, and schoolyards, and expressed concern about more particulate matter pollution in a city where air quality was already poor. Residents living near the terminal questioned whether existing regulatory frameworks adequately protected their health.

No Coal in Richmond

Local organizing coalesced into what became known as the No Coal in Richmond campaign. In 2017, environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and local advocates, began pushing for action to stop coal exports from the city. That same year, the Richmond City Council banned coal exports from publicly owned land. However, this policy did not apply to privately owned terminals, leaving the Levin-Richmond Terminal unaffected. Grassroots organizing intensified through the formation of the Sunflower Alliance, which brought together environmental justice groups, labor unions, public health professionals, faith organizations, educators, and small business leaders.

This coalition gathered more than 2,300 signatures on letters urging the Richmond City Council to adopt stronger protections against coal dust. The labor organizations, the United Teachers of Richmond and the California Nurses Association, joined the effort, framing coal dust as a public health issue and a community safety concern. The No Coal in Richmond campaign linked local experiences of dust to broader climate, health, and racial justice concerns, emphasizing that communities of color and working-class neighborhoods bore the brunt of rail-related pollution.

To a limited extent, scientific research has since reinforced community claims. A health impact assessment conducted by researchers at the University of California examined fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) exposure associated with uncovered coal trains in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Richmond. The study found that a 2.1 μg/m³ increase in PM_2.5 exposure near rail lines was associated with increased risks of premature mortality and chronic lung disease. The study also documented racial disparities in exposure. Black and Latino communities living near rail corridors experienced higher PM_2.5 burdens than white populations, highlighting how coal transport compounded existing environmental inequities in the region.

Residents, educators, and health advocates provided firsthand accounts that echoed these findings. Jacob Gran, a Richmond High School teacher and member of United Teachers of Richmond, described coal and petcoke dust traveling miles from rail lines and terminals, contributing to widespread respiratory distress among students. These testimonies played a crucial role in shifting public discourse and legitimizing community knowledge alongside scientific evidence. Following legal settlements related to coal exports, environmental advocates emphasized the importance of enforcement and oversight. Earthjustice attorney Anna Stimmel noted that agreements ending coal exports would provide relief to nearby families while granting the city authority to inspect terminal operations and ensure compliance during the phase-out period.

Local Government Response

In February 2020, the City of Richmond adopted City Ordinance No. 05-20 N.S., a landmark land-use ordinance prohibiting new coal and petroleum coke operations on private land, preventing expansion of existing facilities, and mandating a phased end to coal and petcoke handling within city limits. The City of Richmond explicitly cited the disproportionate health impacts of PM_2.5 exposure from coal dust.

The ordinance triggered multiple lawsuits from coal and fossil fuel interests, including the Levin-Richmond Terminal. In state court, judges ruled in favor of the City, finding that coal operations violated the California Environmental Quality Act. In November 2021, a settlement resolved both state and federal litigation, allowing coal operations to continue only until December 31, 2026, while requiring substantial interim dust mitigation measures. These measures included wind speed operating limits, water misting during unloading, and construction of new shielding structures to reduce dust emissions. The settlement also required the dismissal, with prejudice, of all lawsuits challenging the ordinance.

Despite legal victories, organizing in Richmond continues. Coal and petcoke interests remain active through political contributions and advocacy, while community groups emphasize a just transition for terminal workers and a permanent shift away from fossil fuel handling. Approximately two-thirds of the coal handled at the Levin-Richmond Terminal originated from Utah mines, underscoring how Richmond became entangled in national and global coal supply chains. The No Coal in Richmond campaign stands as a significant example of community-led resistance to coal dust pollution. Like movements in Oakland, California, Baltimore, Maryland, and Southeast Newport News and Lambert's Point, Norfolk, Virginia, it demonstrates how residents, labor groups, scientists, and advocates can combine local testimony, health research, and land-use law to challenge entrenched industrial practices and assert a right to clean air.

Relevance and Conversations with the Repair Lab

In 2023, Repair Lab team members began talking with organizers, lawyers, and researchers in Richmond to learn what worked, what didn't, and what activists should be prepared for in Virginia.

One of the clearest lessons from No Coal in Richmond was: mitigation is not the goal—stopping harm is. Residents and advocates fought to end coal handling altogether in Richmond. The dust control measures they won were only temporary protections put in place during the court-ordered phaseout of coal. Organizers warned the Repair Lab that companies often use mitigation to argue that operations are "safe" even when dust and health risks remain.

Conversations with activists and advocates in Richmond gave hard truths about dust controls. Some infrastructure solutions looked strong on paper but were weak in practice. For example, rules that stopped loading during high winds may rarely be activated, depending on how wind is measured. Chemical surfactants sprayed on coal can lose effectiveness over long rail distances, and the health impacts of these chemicals are still poorly understood. In most cases, there was no independent air monitoring to prove whether the specific type of mitigation was actually working.

Because of this, Richmond organizers emphasized the importance of independent checks on what companies and regulators claim. That lesson directly shaped Repair Lab's work in Southeast Newport News and Lambert's Point. In addition to relying on air monitoring and indoor dust sampling, the Repair Lab has used public records requests through the Virginia Freedom of Information Act to obtain the water usage bills for the Dominion Terminal Associates and Kinder Morgan Bulk Terminals. Analyzing how much water was actually used in comparison to when sprinklers should be on based on weather, reveals whether wet dust suppression systems were being run as often as required. Doing so helped confirm what residents have been seeing for years, that dust mitigation was inconsistent or insufficient.

Another key lesson was legal. Richmond and Oakland advocates cautioned against a focus on trains. Railroads are mostly regulated by the federal government, and state and local efforts fail because of federal preemption. Instead, successful strategies focused on what states and cities can do, which is to control coal storage and handling, stormwater runoff, land use and zoning, air and water permitting, and quality of life and public health protections.

Organizers in Richmond stressed that evidence of harm alone is not enough. Political will matters. In Richmond, progress depended on community pressure, commitment from members of Richmond City Council, and broad coalitions that included labor unions, faith leaders, health professionals, parents, and elders. Residents testimonials, especially about asthma and respiratory illness, were often more persuasive than abstract environmental arguments.

For residents and activists in other locations, these lessons from what happened in Richmond lay a path forward:

• use public records to verify regulators' claims, not just to gather reports
• focus on facilities and permits not trains
• treat mitigation as a tool to reduce harm—not proof that harm is gone
• document health impacts and lived experience alongside scientific data
• build coalitions that reflect the full community, not just environmental groups

Communities can also share knowledge across regions to avoid repeating mistakes and strengthen local efforts to protect health and demand accountability, which Voices in the Dust attempts to do.

Documents

• An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Richmond Amending the Municipal Code of the City of Richmond by Adding New Article 15.04.615 Prohibition of the Storage and Handling of Coal and Petroleum Coke, and Amending Section 15.04.104.010 Warehousing, Storage, and Distribution Definition, City of Richmond, Ordinance No. 05-20 N.S., February 4, 2020
• No Coal in Oakland Meeting with Repair Lab Team Members, March 27, 2023
• Jacob Klein Meeting with Repair Lab Team Members, May 4, 2023
• Ben Eichenberg Meeting with Repair Lab Team Members, May 16, 2023
• Marie Logan Meeting with Repair Lab Team Members, May 17, 2023