The CSX Coal Pier processes an estimated 2–4 million tons of coal annually, making it a major industrial export hub. This volume requires continuous rail deliveries, large-scale open-air storage, and vessel loading operations, all of which contribute to sustained environmental exposure.
Darling Ingredients
One of the biggest polluters in Curtis bay.
Darling Ingredients calls itself “the world's leading company turning food waste into sustainable products and producer of renewable energy." If you ask the average long-time Curtis Bay resident, they might instead call Darling a “world leader in putrid smells.”
The Context
Euthanised pets, police horses, restaurant food scraps, grease and frying oil, roadkill, and much more is rendered at this plant [Source 2]. Rendering involves cooking down “waste” into “crude” protein and fats, which are then resold for use in pet food, car wax, rubber, and industrial products. In Baltimore, this rendering takes place less than a mile from local schools and play areas. The plant has operated in Curtis Bay since 1929, formerly operating under the name Valley Proteins (1984–2022). In 2022, Darling Ingredients, a major international corporation operating over 300 rendering facilities, bought out the Valley Proteins facility for $1.1 billion [Source 1].
Impact Summary
2-4
Million Tons of coal processed
5–10
Year Reduction in Life Expectancy
Residents in Curtis Bay face a 5–10 year lower life expectancy compared to wealthier areas. This reduction is linked to cumulative exposure from multiple industrial sources, with the coal terminal being a primary contributor to degraded environmental and health conditions.
100+
Years of operation
The facility has been in operation for over a century, meaning pollution has accumulated across generations. This long-term activity has resulted in persistent contamination of air, soil, and waterways, with no comprehensive remediation effort implemented to date.
The rendering processes at the Curtis Bay facility creates three byproducts: wastewater, which goes to the nearby Patapsco Waste Water Treatment Plant (a known polluter in the region; “stray fat and protein molecules” released into the air, responsible for the putrid smells; and “reclaimed dirt, metal, plastics, and other trash,” which go to the nearby Quarantine Road Landfill.
Against All Odds
Outside of Baltimore, the Valley Proteins name holds a history of consistent violations of environmental laws, harming the environment by illegally dumping pollution into waterways, including in Maryland.
Beyond Regulations
While no such dumping has been reported at the Curtis Bay site, wastewater from the plant may have been included in spills from the Patapsco Waste Water Treatment Plant, and even without this, the smells are enough to warrant change.
What do the owners of this plant have to say for themselves? In the late 90s, a general manager of the plant told a reporter the truth of what this company thinks: “smells like money to me”
Bankruptcy
65K
Asbestos-related lawsuits in Libby & Troy, MT
In Film
A Civil Action
A movie starring John Travolta documenting a lawsuit to W.R. Grace due to its participation in water contamination.
Meaning
Pollution Burden
- CSX Coal Terminal
- Chemical manufacturers
- Waste transfer facilities
- Heavy truck and vessel traffic
- Wastewater treatment plant
- Former industrial sites
Insight
Culture pulse & insights
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has stated that “…the Yard poses no threat to public health.” However, the ATSDR states that “contaminants from the Yard’s former operations could have migrated into Curtis Creek and Arundel Cove… some VOCs, SVOCs, pesticides, PCBs, and metals were detected in surface water and sediment samples near the Yard.”
A Timid Response
- South Baltimore experiences some of the worst air quality in Maryland
- PM2.5 concentrations frequently exceed EPA health standards
- Residents report visible coal dust on homes, cars, and streets
The CSX Coal Pier represents a clear case of environmental racism and corporate negligence, where a profitable corporation externalizes health costs onto a working-class community that lacks the political power to shut down the pollution source. We continue to fight for justice, accountability, and a healthy future for Curtis Bay.
• Slack Champion
• New Certification
• 4 Year Milestone
Community Resistance Groups
1
Residents of Curtis Bay Association: Long-standing community group advocating for neighborhood protection
2
Curtis Bay-Brooklyn Communities Healthy Air Collaborative: Coalition demanding air quality improvements
3
Free Your Voice (formerly South Baltimore Community Land Trust): Youth-led organization that successfully fought the nation’s largest trash-burning incinerator (Energy Answers) proposed for Curtis Bay
4
South Baltimore Community Land Trust: Working for environmental and housing justice