CSX Achieves 8% GHG Cut Early

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Freight rail company CSX Corporation today announced that it has beaten a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by eight percent per revenue ton mile.

CSX was targeting the end of 2011 but says it met the goal in late 2010.

CSC says the goal was the first-ever emissions reduction commitment by a major transportation provider. It was part of the company’s participation in the Environmental Protection Agency's now-defunct Climate Leaders program.

Other CSX environmental initiatives include use of ultra-low emission GenSet locomotives and modernizing transportation infrastructure to allow for more efficient double-stacked intermodal trains. The company’s recently opened facility in North Baltimore, Ohio includes innovations such as electric cranes and optical cargo scanners to improve efficiency, lower emissions, and decrease truck idling times.

Federal Highway Administration estimates predict that total U.S. freight shipments will increase more than 60 percent over the next 30 years, according to CSX.

"This effort demonstrates CSX's unyielding commitment to environmental excellence and its ability to set and meet aggressive goals," said chairman, president and CEO Michael J. Ward. "Transporting freight by rail is already the most environmentally-friendly way to move goods around the country, and we are proud to be an industry leader, developing sustainable solutions that have a positive impact on the environment."

Picture credit: Kenneth Spencer

Environment + Energy Leader