ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 5, 1996 TAG: 9612050037
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
No one from Southwest Virginia showed up at a public hearing Wednesday to complain about coal dust from Norfolk Southern trains.
Norfolk Southern executives said the sparse crowd is proof that its dust-suppression efforts are working.
"I think we have made tremendous progress," agreed state Sen. Madison Marye, D-Shawsville and chairman of a General Assembly study panel.
The panel began studying the problem in 1991, after The Roanoke Times chronicled the dust-plagued life of the Bolling family in Bedford County.
Things are not as dusty these days, said Tommy Bolling, whose house stands about 70 yards from the NS tracks.
"There has been some improvement, but it's not like we'd want it. We're still getting some dust," Bolling said Wednesday in a telephone interview.
NS has taken steps, in cooperation with coal producers, to keep the coal inside its open-air cars. The coal producers have begun applying a chemical spray that forms a crust on the pulverized coal. And NS has changed the profile of the load, reducing steep angles that caused wind-blown erosion.
The rail giant said a toll-free complaint hot line received 13 calls from Virginia this year, down from 52 in 1995.
The Fortune 500 company is committed to keeping the voluntary suppression efforts in place, said William Fox Jr., vice president of coal marketing.
"I believe it's going to be a lifelong endeavor. It's not something we can fix and walk away from," Fox said.
NS got less-than-sterling reviews from residents living near its rail-to-ship terminal in Norfolk.
Beverly Mann said the loading terminal puts out plumes of black particles that coat everything in her West Ghent neighborhood.
Last year, NS loaded nearly 28 million tons of coal at its Lamberts Point facility. A giant machine grabs two 100-ton coal cars at a time, lifts them into the air like toy trains and dumps the coal into waiting ships.
"There is a big plume of coal dust," said Del. George Heilig, a Democrat whose constituents live downwind.
NS executives said there is no proof the loading facility is the major source of the problem. Scientific studies have shown that coal dust accounts for only a small percentage of particulates in the area, Fox said.
Nonetheless, Fox said NS would continue to look for solutions.
"I know it's a nuisance, and we have our part to play in it," he said.
LENGTH: Medium: 51 linesby CNB