Cora Coal Terminal

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Cora Terminal is a terminal used for coal and coke located in Rockwood, Illinois.

Location

The terminal is located at mile 98.5 of the upper Mississippi River.

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Project Details

• Operator: Kinder Morgan Energy Partners
• Location: Rockwood, Illinois
• Capacity (Million tonnes per annum): 11
• Status: Operating
• Type: Exports

Background

The terminal has an annual throughput capacity of 11 million tonnes, and storage of nearly one million tonnes. Rail service is carried out by Union Pacific.

In 2012 Peabody Coal said it expected to extend contracts at the Cora Terminal to facilitate shipments of Illinois Basin coal for domestic and international markets.

The terminal was owned by Kinder Morgan Energy Partners. On November 10, 2016, Watco Companies reached a definitive agreement with Kinder Morgan Terminals to purchase 20 bulk terminal operations in the United States, including Cora Terminal.

Sightline Institute reports "track record of pollution, lawbreaking, and cover-ups" at Kinder Morgan facilities

An April 2012 report by the environmental think tank Sightline Institute, "The Facts about Kinder Morgan," , lists a series of legal violations and pollution incidents at various Kinder Morgan terminals. The report includes the following:

• "In Louisiana, Kinder Morgan’s coal export facilities are so dirty that satellite photos clearly show coal dust pollution spewing into the Mississippi River."
• "In South Carolina, coal dust from Kinder Morgan’s terminal contaminates oysters, pilings, and boats. Locals have even caught the company on video washing coal directly into sensitive waterways."
• "In Virginia, Kinder Morgan’s coal export terminal is an open sore on the neighborhood, coating nearby homes in dust so frequently that even the mayor is speaking out about the problem."
• "In Portland, Kinder Morgan officials bribed a ship captain to illegally dump contaminated material at sea, and their operations have repeatedly polluted the Willamette River."
• "Kinder Morgan has been fined by the US government for stealing coal from customer’s stockpiles, lying to air pollution regulators, illegally mixing hazardous waste into gasoline, and many other crimes."
• "Kinder Morgan’s pipelines are plagued by leaks and explosions, including two large dangerous spills in residential neighborhoods in British Columbia."

Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

• Illinois and coal
• Coal terminals