Pier IX

This article is part of the Coal Issues portal on SourceWatch, a project of Global Energy Monitor and the Center for Media and Democracy. See here for help on adding material to CoalSwarm.

Pier IX is a coal terminal operated by Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (formerly Massey Coal Terminal) in Newport News, Virginia.

Location

The facility is located on the James River in Newport News, Virginia in the Hampton Roads area of the Chesapeake Bay.

Loading map...

{"type":"SATELLITE","minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"types":["ROADMAP","SATELLITE","HYBRID","TERRAIN"],"mappingservice":"googlemaps3","width":"600px","height":"500px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","visitedicon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"wmsoverlay":false,"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":14,"layers":[],"controls":["pan","zoom","type","scale","streetview","rotate"],"zoomstyle":"DEFAULT","typestyle":"DEFAULT","autoinfowindows":false,"resizable":false,"kmlrezoom":false,"poi":true,"markercluster":false,"clustergridsize":60,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clusteraveragecenter":true,"clusterminsize":2,"imageoverlays":[],"kml":[],"gkml":[],"searchmarkers":"","enablefullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":false,"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":36.966507,"lon":-76.42519,"icon":""}]}

Background

The facility began operations in 1983 and handles coal, petroleum coke, synfuel and cement.

Expansion

Pier IX had an annual coal capacity of 14.5 million tonnes.

In 2013 Kinder Morgan said it would spend $29 million to expand annual capacity at its Pier IX terminal from 14.5 million to 16 million tonnes. Pier IX exported 14 million tonnes of coal in 2012. It is served by CSX. The expansion was completed in 2014.

Project Details

• Owner: Kinder Morgan Energy Partners
• Location: Newport News, Louisiana
• Capacity (Million tonnes per annum): 16
• Status: Operating
• Start year: 1983
• Type: Exports and Imports
• Cost of expansion: US$29 million (1.5 mtpa in 2014)
• Financing for expansion:

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

• Virginia and coal
• Coal terminals