Congressman Mfume asks EPA to investigate uncovered coal trains in Baltimore

BALTIMORE -- In a new letter, Rep. Kweisi Mfume is asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to investigate uncovered coal trains in Baltimore City, saying his residents are tired of breathing in polluted air.

This comes after several environmental groups nationwide filed a petition last year asking for more federal regulation of uncovered coal trains.

Some neighbors in Curtis Bay tell me the smell and amount of dust in the air can be unbearable at times, causing some people to change their daily activities. They're calling for something to be done to improve their quality of life.

"Some weeks it's bad. I mean it's so thick it's like a cloud is overtop of you," Jerome Pearson, who's lived in his Curtis Bay home for 30 years, told WJZ.

Mfume is asking the EPA to act on the petition that was filed in September 2023.

Speaking during the house oversight committee on Wednesday, Mfume said air pollution has plagued Curtis Bay for years, and it got worse after the Key Bridge Collapse.

"When the bridge collapsed, the mounds of coal continued to increase," Mfume said.

Mfume says this is a major issue because Baltimore City has the second highest rate of asthma nationwide.

He added that conversations with coal companies have gone off the tracks.

"We've tried to have conversations with CSX and others who are responsible in many respects for the mounds of coal in many respects. Those conversations have gone nowhere," Mfume said to the committee.

CSX issued a statement to WJZ saying the Curtis Bay Terminal is meeting air quality standards, including installing air quality monitors on the perimeter of the property.

"CSX is committed to environmental compliance and strives to protect the environment and the safety and health of the public, our customers, and employees in all aspects of our operations.

CSX is proud of its nearly 200-year history in Baltimore and the Curtis Bay area. Our coal pier operations adhere to strict regulatory standards, and we regularly invest in technologies and practices that go above and beyond those standards set by federal and state governments, and maintain our own operational standards for environmental management, including those found in our environmental policy.

The data from Collaborative Investigation by MDE and others as analyzed by third-party experts indicates the community is in attainment with the US Environmental Protection Agency National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM2.5 and PM10.

Further as required by our air permit, we installed a fence line air monitoring system along the perimeter of the property. Data from the fence line air monitoring is shared quarterly with the MDE and shows that the Curtis Bay facility is in compliance with the NAAQS for PM2.5 and PM10.

It's our focus to continue constructive discussions with Congressman Mfume and the Maryland Department of the Environment that can lead to a better understanding of our commitment to sustainability as well as collaborative efforts to address community concerns."

"The last five years, it got really bad. I can't sit on my deck, can't enjoy my deck or nothing like that because the odor be so thick," Pearson said.

Some neighbors say they must keep their windows closed even during the summertime to keep coal dust out.

"You open them, but you can't leave them open. You can open them for a few minutes, and you can see your windowsill has black soot on it. With the technology they've got nowadays, there's no reason they can't control some of that," David Brown said.

During yesterday's meeting, Mfume invited EPA administrator Michael Reagan to visit the neighborhood to see and smell the problem for himself.

WJZ reached out to the EPA for comment but have not heard back. Meanwhile trains full of coal are still sitting in on the tracks in Curtis Bay.