Agency honors coal shipper, hits it with fine
By Katy Stech
State environmental regulators recently honored Kinder Morgan for its efforts to improve air quality at its shipping terminal on the Cooper River. At the same time, however, they were getting ready to assess the Texas company a five-figure fine for fouling Charleston's air with coal dust.
The Post and Courier
Larry DiCenzo of West Ashley on his boat at the Cooper River Marina, where, he says, coal dust from the Kinder Morgan terminal collects. Kinder Morgan has made improvements at the facility, but DiCenzo says he has not noticed a difference in the past year.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control two months ago ordered the company to pay $19,000 and change its operations to prevent coal dust from blowing off its waterfront site in the Charleston Neck Area.
The Oct. 21 consent order also calls for Kinder Morgan to operate a spray truck on the property, monitor dust collection systems and water down coal dust at the facility where it loads coal onto trains.
The enforcement action stemmed from a May 2007 site visit by state health inspectors who found coal chunks falling off a conveyer belt into the river, a water truck that did not effectively contain the coal dust and inadequate maintenance records.
Kinder Morgan came under scrutiny after it sought a permit from DHEC to expand the terminal to accommodate larger coal shipments. Local residents and boaters who dock at the nearby Cooper River Marina protested the request, complaining about existing levels of dust the company releases.
After a three-year fight, the expansion was approved by DHEC in November.
As the permitting process was coming to a close, and as the terms of the consent order were being considered, DHEC received an application from Kinder Morgan for the agency's new "Spare the Air" awards program, which recognizes efforts to improve air quality in South Carolina.
Self promotion
Kinder Morgan's self-nomination for the Spare the Air Awards.
Kinder Morgan, which nominated itself, was recognized at a November ceremony; and it has since touted the honor to local residents who live near the Milford Street terminal.
"It was more of a mention," said Arthur Rudolph, the company's regional general manager. Rudolph noted that a Midlands hospital got the top award from DHEC, "but we were mentioned as a company that has made an effort in the past year."
Rudolph said he did not think it was misleading to highlight the award as the company was facing a fine for violating air standards.
"The consent order is from two years ago, and we've made a lot of improvements since then," he said. "We're not going to let down our efforts, and that's a promise we've made to the community."
The Post and Courier
Kinder Morgan said it has spent more than $1.5 million on environmental improvements at the site. Despite those efforts, fine specks of dust were still drifting onto the nearby marina Tuesday morning.
Marina manager Matt Driscoll pointed to piles of black dust that had accumulated on idle boats. One 38-foot sailboat that was washed on Monday had within a day collected fine lines of black dust along its raised edges.
In the distance, Kinder Morgan cranes scooped coal from the belly of a red cargo ship. Company officials have told marina boaters that the black dust might not have be coming from their facility, but several DHEC tests have shown that coal is the main air pollutant.
"They have got to be losing a lot of money," said sailboat owner Larry DiCenzo of West Ashley, who was preparing to wash off dust that had accumulated in the three days since the last cleaning. "It collects here everyday."
DiCenzo, who has docked his boat at the marina for five years, said whatever improvements Kinder Morgan has made have not reduced the amount of coal dust that collects on his boat.
Previous stories
DHEC wrapping up Kinder Morgan permit, published 09/30/08
DHEC has memory block; State agency reps differ on using past violations, published 11/18/08
Since the DHEC fine was issued, Kinder Morgan has held two meetings with its citizens advisory panel, a voluntary group of residents who meet with company officials to discuss their concerns and other matters.
Rudolph said he thought the fine had been discussed, but that is not reflected in the written minutes from the two most recent meetings. Two board members, including North Charleston resident Kristen French, said they do not recall hearing about the penalty.
"As a member of the CAP, I would expect that to come up because, in the spirit of full disclosure, we are trying to be very open and honest with each other, and that makes me think they aren't bringing everything to the table," French said.
"We shouldn't have to find out about it by reading about it in the newspaper or being contacted by someone from The Post and Courier," added fellow member Susan Graham.
During those two meetings, the company did talk about the "Spare the Air" recognition.
"I just think they want us to just be so happy with what they've done and stop bothering them, and I don't think they understand this is supposed to be a long-term relationship," French said.
Reach Katy Stech at 937-5549 or kstech@postandcourier.com.
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firemike (anonymous) says...
If you started a business that you can't do with out polluting the water than you shouldn't have started that business at all. It seems to me that there are a lot of operations like this in the US. All with out problems such as this one has. Their polluted water affects more that just Charleston Harbor. It take very little coal dust to kill fish and pollute oysters. Why should this greedy little company destroy the waterways for the rest of Charlestonians? I know why - to make a dollar. Would the owner of this company want his kids breathing in coal dust all day? Than why does he let our fish do it? I hate to sound like another crack pot but who and how much money does this company donate to our elected officials. Is there a way we could find this out? Yeah just as I thought, no one wants to go there. Thank you Post & Courier for releasing this story.
December 31, 2008 at 5:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
whalernut (anonymous) says...
Kinder Morgan not only fouls up our waterways but makes for the most dangerous trucking on I-26. These Ash and Coal trucks are rewarded for each delivery made. This makes for higher speeds and very dangerous situations on the roadways.
The waterfront is going to get worse before it gets better.
I would think that DHEC would be on there front door everyday.
And don't forget they expanded the coal yard last year. And your local politicians allowed it to happen.
December 31, 2008 at 8:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
firemike (anonymous) says...
Well it doesn't seem like your wrong JimIslander. OMG - I can't believe The Post & Courier had the balls to run this story. Kudos to Katy Stech for informing us.
December 31, 2008 at 8:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
firemike (anonymous) says...
JI read this about Kinder Morgan, Inc.
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2007/01/kinder...
December 31, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CedarPosts (anonymous) says...
I'd suggest that Larry DiCenzo just move his boat over to St. John's yacht harbor. Coal Dust and Salt Spray can't be good for a fiberglass finish.
Sitting under the flight path of C-17s is bad enough, I'd go nutz with coal dust.
December 31, 2008 at 10:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
a_set_love (anonymous) says...
JimIslander - Why hasn't your City of Charleston mayor, riley, done anything to stop this City of Charleston company from polluting the Cooper River and Harbor.
Think of all the families living in that area. I wonder how much of the dust floats over to Daniel Island?
December 31, 2008 at 11:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
majorjohnson (anonymous) says...
Salt spray is definitely hard on an ocean going vessel. I think it should be outlawed. Theres no reason anyone who owns a boat in Charleston should have to put up with a corrosive like salt water.
December 31, 2008 at 1:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yird (anonymous) says...
Warren Buffet, The Rockefellers, The Rothschilds, George Soros, The Kennedys,The old "royal" families of Europe to name a few have one thing in common besides their enormous wealth.
They form an international cabal who's only interest is to maintain the opulent lifestyle they are accustomed to and if it means driving the rest of the world into subservience so be it.
I believe rarely does anything in politics or macro economics happen by accident. The "great depression" was survived quite well by the Vanderbilt, Morgan and Carnegie folks while multitudes of smaller businesses that grew during the boom of the twenties went bankrupt or were "assimilated" by the giants for a fraction of their worth.
Today the circumstances are similar with the exception that now we have the United Nations which is about as corrupt an organization as ever was and this organization is nothing more than a tool the globalist use to expedite their scheme of a world of workers that will support them in their isolated guarded enclaves.
In this game of separating the wheat (them)from the chaff (us)the folks that head up or sit on the boards of companies like Kinder Morgan are major players.
The one country that has been an impediment to this plan has been the United States. It's now getting the attention needed to resolve that problem.
One world where everybody is equal. Equally poor that is.
With a little selective breeding, cloning, and a dash of eugenics thrown in for good measure and Presto;
Welcome to Adolphus Huxley's Brave New World
December 31, 2008 at 5:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
zoomru (anonymous) says...
LOL......LOL....LOL !!!
Good points by ALL...!! We are worse than a house CAT...!!! At least they don't LIVE in their Litter BOX !!!! Thanks to OUR politicians "backbone" and numerous OTHER players ....OUR state is bending over to everyone...BUT.....the fine citizens who sweat and work and LIVE here...!!! I waited all day to see how MANY people cared to even VOTE their views here in ink....!!! Do you all wonder if our fine citizens in the midlands or upstate even care how this impacts them...?!?! ...or if their respective news EDITORS want to inform them...????
Citizens.......if we had 100 or 1000 or ....10000 comments from different concerned taxpayers in the tricounty region; do you think ANYthing would ....CHANGE???
December 31, 2008 at 11:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jobs4us (anonymous) says...
Unfortunately we live in a world of limits. Let's see, if no opacity limits were violated, no violations issued by DHEC, no exceedances on the dust monitor (which is actually about 50 feet away from this guys boat) then I guess the terminal was within their limits. Let's be honest here, is it we just hate business in Charleston or are we environmentally concerned? If it is the latter, we need to address the other 99% of the neck area that has no permitted limits, no dust controls, no accountability. At least give Kinder credit for stepping up to the plate and making some changes and then taking time to explain that to the interested citizens. But keep it up Katy and that may stop too. Being open has it's pitfalls and when you take the minutes of meetings you don't even attend to create a story, well I just lost what respect I had for you. Just my opinion, so feel free to bash away.
February 4, 2009 at 10:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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