Myrtle Grove Midstream Terminal

The Myrtle Grove Midstream Terminal, also known as the International Marine Terminals (IMT), is along the lower Mississippi River in Myrtle Grove, Louisiana. In Feb. 2011, pipeline and storage facility operator Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP said it agreed with Massey Energy to expand the terminal to handle up to 6 million tons of coal. The 15-year deal anticipates a minimum of 4 million tons of coal per year. Most of the coal will come from Massey mines in central Appalachia for export. Kinder Morgan said it will invest $70 million to expand storage, conveyor belts and environmental controls at the terminal by mid-2012.

Deal with Peabody Coal for coal exports to Europe
On July 17, 2012, Peabody Energy announced that, under new agreements with Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, it would gain additional coal export capacity from Kinder Morgan's Deepwater Terminal and Houston Bulk Terminal in Texas, as well as increased access to the International Marine Terminal at Myrtle Grove, Louisiana, south of New Orleans.

The planned expansion would more than double Peabody's export capacity along the Gulf Coast to between 5 million and 7 million tons annually between 2014 and 2020. In 2011, Peabody shipped 6.6 million tons of coal through export terminals on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts, and it has projected total exports of 10 million tons for 2012. Much of the coal being shipped from Texas and Louisiana will serve Peabody's European markets.

The company expects to begin shipping Colorado and Powder River Basin coal through the Houston terminal in 2014. Shipments of Colorado and Powder River Basin coal from Louisiana will begin around the same time, and Peabody will extend contracts at the Cora River terminal in Illinois to facilitate shipments of Illinois Basin coal for domestic and international markets.

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."

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Appalachia
 * Coal exports from northwest United States ports
 * Louisiana and coal
 * Washington (state) and coal
 * Coal terminals