THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 16, 1994 TAG: 9412160521
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WINDSOR LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is opposed to a proposed Norfolk Southern Corp. coal-storage facility near Windsor.
In a letter to the Norfolk office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Thursday, the EPA expressed concern about environmental damage.
Last month, the Army Engineers issued a draft permit for the facility, which would be used to store coal from western Virginia en route to Norfolk Southern's loading docks at Lamberts Point in Norfolk.
``We've been concerned about the wetlands impacts of this project for a while now,'' said John Pomponio, acting chief of the EPA's environmental services division. ``We've made it clear that we're against this permit as it's proposed. But at this stage, we're pushing for a mitigation plan that can substantially reduce the impacts to the community and to the environment.''
If the Army Engineers issue the permit, the EPA said several requirements should be imposed on Norfolk Southern.
The EPA wants the railroad to reforest 250 acres of farm fields, to include a ``no-timbering'' clause in the agreement, to establish a permanent conservation easement and to restore 166 acres of wetlands in two fields. The EPA also wants vernal ponds, where salamanders and frogs spawn, preserved.
The EPA has suggested that an interagency management and monitoring committee provide long-term monitoring. The agency also wants a 20-year monitoring plan to check water quality, revegetation efforts and wildlife utilization.
The EPA wants a $200,000 performance bond from the railroad to insure the success of its efforts.
A wetlands permit and a wetlands certification must be issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia before the facility can be built. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issued water quality and air quality permits about two years ago.
After receiving comments on the draft permit from all participating agencies, including the EPA, the Army Engineers have the authority under the federal Clean Water Act to incorporate comments and decide whether to issue a final permit.
``EPA anticipates that the corps will incorporate our recommendations into the final permit, should they issue one,'' Pomponio said in a statement Thursday.
Norfolk Southern has expressed its willingness to follow the EPA's recommendations, Pomponio added.
Still opposed to the project are the Citizens Against the Coal Storage Facility, whose supporters say they fear that the facility, in its proposed location, could threaten the quality of water supplies in and near Isle of Wight County.
Norfolk Southern first proposed construction of the facility on a 1,600-acre tract off U.S. 460, about a mile from Windsor, in 1989.
Some officials have said the Windsor facility ultimately could handle 40 million tons of coal a year. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
EPA DEMANDS
The EPA wants the railroad:
To reforest 250 acres of farm fields.
To include a ``no-timbering'' clause in the agreement.
To establish a permanent conservation easement.
To restore 166 acres of wetlands in two agricultural fields.
by CNB