Submitted by Chip Ross
June 12, 2015 7:00 a.m.
The Ocean Highway Port Authority oversees the Port of Fernandina. A subsidiary of Kinder Morgan Terminals manages the Port of Fernandina. Either in the Ocean Highway’s proposed Master Plan, Charter, or by the recent application for a coal transfer permit [which was withdrawn] the following have been proposed for the Port of Fernandina:
- Coal Transfer Facility
- Petroleum Refinery
- Phosphate shipping terminal
- Fruit & Vegetable Fumigation Facilities
- Phosphate shipping terminal; and / or
- Ship Passenger Terminals Servicing greater than 500 passengers.
If you are a resident or business owner on Amelia Island, you may believe that these types of facilities have not directly affected you, therefore none of them ever will.
Let’s keep it that way.
On Tuesday June 16th at 6 PM a proposed Land Development Code amendment [Zoning Ordinance] comes before the City Commissioners. The proposed amendments would define and prohibit the above facilities in the City of Fernandina Beach. The details can be found on the Fernandina Beach City website.
The prohibition of a coal transfer facility would prevent a facility which imports or exports coal by ship into the City of Fernandina Beach. This would not prevent the coal trains that currently supply coal to one of the mills. The coal dust from a transfer facility in our community, no matter how careful or regulated the facility, will get into our water and our air.
The only question is how much. “Coal pollutants affect all major body organ systems and contribute to four of the five leading causes of mortality in the U.S.: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases.” [Physicians for Social Responsibity.org]
“In Louisiana, Kinder Morgan’s terminal spills coal directly into the Mississippi River and nearby wetlands. The pollution is so heavy that satellite photos show coal-polluted water spreading from the facility in black plumes. The same site generates so much wind-blown coal dust that nearby residents won a class action lawsuit because their homes and belongings are so often covered in coal dust.”[Sightline.org]
“The Comprehensive Plan sets the general direction for most of the City’s
legislative action.” [Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary] “The Land
Development Code is intended to “establish comprehensive regulations,
procedures, and standards for review and approval of the development of land
based on the comprehensive plan”. [Land Development Code – Purpose and Intent]
Policy 1.07.11(g) of the City of Fernandina Beach’s Comprehensive Plan states “heavymetal fabrication, batch plants, salvage yards, chemical or petroleum manufacturing or refining, rubber or plastics manufacturing, or other uses generating potentially harmful environmental or nuisance impacts shall be prohibited” in the City of Fernandina Beach.
The comprehensive plan currently prohibits a petroleum refinery.
The proposed Land Development Code amendments will implement this policy and make this prohibition an enforceable law.
A coal transfer facility, fruit and vegetable fumigation facility, phosphate
shipping terminal and cruise ship terminal for greater than 500 passengers
generate potentially harmful environmental or nuisance impacts and therefore are prohibited by the comprehensive plan.
The proposed Land Development Code amendments will implement this policy and make this prohibition an enforceable law.
If you believe that the above facilities are detrimental to the health, welfare or safety of the City of Fernandina Beach and will detract from residential and commercial property values, come to the meeting and voice your support. If you are unable to appear in person send an e-mail to your City Commissioners. [Click here to email commissioners]
“We always hear about the rights of democracy, but the major
responsibility of it is participation.” [Wynton Marsalis]
Additional Comment from Chip Ross:
● Coal Transfer Facility means a facility comprised of one or more berths, slips, piers, wharves, loading and / or unloading areas, warehouses, storage silos and / or storage yards used for the import or export of coal by ship and / or barge. This does not impact in anyway the current situation of RockTenn transporting coal by train or truck to their facility. A prohibition of this type of facility would prevent RockTenn, Kinder Morgan, the Port, or anyone else from building on their own property in the City a facility or using a facility built on the Port property from importing cheap coal by ship or barge from South America or anywhere else to be used by RockTenn or others or exporting coal brought in by train or truck.
Editor’s Note: Chip Ross lived and practiced Internal and Emergency Medicine in Southern Maryland for more than 30 years. Now living in the Historic District, Chip continues to practice Emergency Medicine. In his spare time he plays Petanque, cooks and works in his garden.
I will raise my voice along with Chip and the rest of our concerned citizens of this Town and Amelia Island in opposition to a Coal Transfer Facility in our Town. Chip talks about the negative aspects of Coal Transfer. I have first hand knowledge of Coal Yards and Coal Transfer. I was born in Oneonta N.Y. in 1940 , A railroad town. The D&H railroad during the second world war, had the biggest RR Roundhouse in the world at Oneonta. Coal powered steam engines, loaded and off loaded Coal by the Hundreds of tons. Coal piles 40 to 50ft tall. Every home, every building, every cloth line, lamp post, mail boxes, anything that didn’t move was covered in Coal dust. A lot of our Neighbors worked for the Railroad, many lived with a rasping cough, and died at a young age. Coal polluted and Corrupted the land and the Susquehanna River for many years. Coal dust permeated every Home in the City. As a young man, as an electrician, I crawled around attics of these Homes. there was a layer of Coal dust in most 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. City Commissioners, please put limits on the amount of Coal passing through The Port of Fernandina. If you don’t everybody loses, except Kinder Morgan. To Kinder Morgan, Fernandina Beach “Is just a Place”
Grew up in Portsmouth, Va. Took my dad to his ships (“Consolidation Coal” and “Michael Tracy”) at the coal Piers in Norfolk and Newport News. 200 car N&W coal trains ran daily along tracks that crossed and blocked Rt. 17, several blocks from the house where I grew up for 25-30 minutes each day. My cousin was a train engineer for Norfolk Southern for 30 years running coal trains across the Virginia mountains.
Listen to Chip Ross and Steve Crouse. Once again, listen to Chip Ross and Steve Crouse. Arguments about “free enterprise” should actually read “free enterprise for Kinder Morgan – Detroit and Love Canal for the rest of us.”
Here is something fun…..
If you live in Fernandina Beach, try this little experiment.
Walk outside of your home. Run your fingers across your car. See black stuff on your fingers? Now do the same thing on the siding of your house…same result?
This dust is partially made up of coal dust. Yes, that’s right, coal dust. One does not have to be in the Appalachian Mountains to experience coal dust affecting your daily life. Our local mills burn the stuff occasionally when needed. It is brought in on trains.
Coal is a great resource for inexpensive fuel. In fact, my yard is littered with coal chunks from my grandfathers day, and his kitchen coal-burning stove. It’s undeniably a wonderful, all-American energy source.
But these days, things are changing concerning coal. The local mills that burn coal are doing so under the strict guidance of the Federal inspectors. That’s good!
We now understand that a mill wants the ability to bring in, by ship, very large quantities of coal from Columbia. It’s quite cheap that way. Good idea, right?
Here is where your health and life are involved again. The transfer of this coal from the ship to land is always over our river. This river is not tolerant of coal dust, and there is simply no way to transfer this coal without creating lots of coal dust. It falls in the water, and moves to the shrimp and fish estuaries.
Coal wreaks havoc on the development of marine life. We simply do not know yet how bad this coal dust will affect our own waterways. But once it is done, it cannot be fixed.
Also, this coal dust will float through the air to our downtown, and far into the neighborhoods and communities nearby. Coal dust comes from burning it for fuel now, and will come from ship-to-land transfer if this is allowed.
You have ONE chance to speak up before TUESDAY JUNE 16th.
The City Commission is discussing the text amendments to the zoning codes then. If you want clean air, if you like the natural pristine island that we call home, then do something!
I do not like anyone telling me what to do.
Neither does the industry affected by this small restriction. This doesn’t stop their business at all. They can get all the coal they need today by rail, no problem, but by ship?….. well, that’s a game-changer, and they want to do it to save a bit of money. That is understandable.
But, is this the right move for our town? Isn’t it time we admit that our most valuable asset is our environment? Did you move here because of the wonderful coal dust in the air and water? I didn’t think so..
This plan might be great for the county, or a rural area, or someplace where the environment is simply not as important as it is here.
What will our Half-Billion dollar tourist industry do when we wake up to find Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island covered in coal dust? Do you really think this isn’t possible? Talk to the residents of other towns that have had this happen. It destroys them financially, and health-wise.
Call, email the City Commissioners NOW.
Attend the City Commissioners meeting Tuesday at 6 PM.
Make you voice heard!
This is not about hurting the mills or the port. This is about protecting your home. If you don’t speak up, who will?
Chuck Hall
Contact Commissioners here:
http://www.fbfl.us/index.aspx?nid=842
If unable to attend the meeting on Tuesday, the 16th, please send your email to our City Commissioners requesting them to accept in their entirety the proposed text amendments. I believe the wording is specific and brings clarity to process.
In many ways, I believe that the individual City Commissioners decisions should be easy. After all, we already have two environmentally high risk businesses located in our community, a paper mill and a specialty chemical company. Do we really need more?
We also have a golden goose, tourism, and that goose lays eggs that benefit the City and the County and those benefits are, and continue to be, quantifiable and substantiated. So why threaten the goose and her ability to lay those golden eggs for operations that are clearly unsafe, unhealthy, and detrimental to the environment… or to revisit the famous 1970’s anti-war slogan… unhealthy for children and other living things.
And here I have to add, that during the last year and a half during which the community has questioned the Port Authority about the inclusion of these activities in its “Plan”, I have yet to read, or hear, any Port Commissioner, or Port Authority agents or supporters, explain how any of these activities will accomplish three things: create jobs, increase the Port Authority revenue and assist the Port Authority in paying down its debt. Business people understand the importance of financial projections. The omission by the Port Authority of financial projections in its 10 year “Plan” has been conveniently overlooked. So if the Port Authority Commissioners haven’t given consideration to how these activities will benefit the community through jobs and/or revenues increases for local businesses, then who has and what or who will benefit?
But there are larger concepts tied to acceptance of the text amendments.
One is clearly setting a community standard and reinforcing a community vision: people live here, work here, and visit here, and our community is committed to making that experience the safest, the healthiest, and the most environmentally friendly one that is available.
The other is that, if, in future, someone or some entity believes that they can make a strong argument that negates the unsafe, unhealthy, and environmentally unfriendly aspects of these activities, they can publicly make their case for all in the community to hear and decide.
Tried e-mailing City Commissioners on city website several ways. Link to their e-mails appears broken. Anyone else have a problem?
No problem for me in sending emails to the City Commissioners. Please keep trying… In the meantime, access these YouTube videos (be patient as the loading may take some time, but these are very informative and your wait will be worth it)
Coal Dust
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsPEPQPV0sM
Coal: The Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd3_B4LqvOw
Coal Ship Unloading
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C4w4lzvidM
Yes, I’ve tried several times in the past to use the City Page to contact the Commissioners but never was able to. Always thought it was me, that i was doing something wrong. Used my Email: First Name Initial, Last Name @fbfl.org
[email protected]
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected]
I can’t make the Commission meeting Tuesday, but just sent this to all Commissioners…
“Johnny Miller ,
Tim Poynter ,
[email protected],
[email protected],
Pat Gass <pga
I strongly endorse the opinion in the linked article by Chip Ross. I also strongly endorse the opinions that follow the article. I wrote one as a result of my own personal experiences in Portsmouth, Norfolk, and Newport News, Virginia – and my own personal knowledge of the issues and consequences of failing to make hard, but necessary decisions – before real, long term harm is done to this community. Trust but verify is one thing. Trust with no guarantees is another. Lack of Trust and no guarantees is quite another.
http://fernandinaobserver.org/2015/06/12/a-call-to-action-as-fernandina-beach-city-commission-considers-land-development-code-amendment-an-opinion/
Respectfully,
Robert S. Warner
2116 Natures Gate Ct., S.
Fernandina Beach, Fl 32034"
E-mail addresses of our Commissioners…
Johnny Miller ,
Tim Poynter ,
[email protected],
[email protected],
Pat Gass
I’m sorry that some of you are having issues with contacting us via the City website. I will speak with the CM about this tomorrow. Please be assured that as with all issues involving our community, have closely followed article and all the comments. Please feel free to call or message me on my cell anytime at 904-556-3299 if you are having trouble with my email address [email protected].
There are new regulations from the EPA that are closing many of the 1,212 coal fired power plants around the country.
“Nearly all of the plant shutdowns would happen by 2020, the year of the first set of standards in the EPA’s rule. Another standard takes effect in 2030.”
Any business that is planning on transporting coal will find less demand. Any business currently using or considering expanding the use of coal will find it more and more regulated.
or the economy
It makes little sense for our local environment or the local economy for the city to allow the addition of coal transportation to the plan. It’s quite possible the coming reality will be the obsolescence of coal as a fuel. Don’t let these companies make a mistake that we will have to live with for years to come.
Say no to coal!
Neil & Kay Borum
Fernandina Beach, Fl