b'2American Journal of Transportation ajot.comThe Greening of Rail? T opN orThA mericANThe industry touts its environmental ben-efits,butitsstillreliantondiminishingr Ail r oAds 21coal revenues. By Peter Buxbaum, AJOTEarlierthismonth,theforhavingagargantuan, AssociationofAmericanindirect carbon footprint.Railroads(AAR)releasedaOntheotherhand,coal paperoutliningpolicypro- use in the United States has posalsaimedatcombatinghalvedsince2005,andno climatechange.Thiswasnewcoal-firedpowerplants nothing new for AAR and itsareunderconstructionany-member railroads: they havewhereinthecountrytoday. long claimed to be leaders inAccordingtotherating fuel-efficienttransportationagencyMoodys,railroad andindrivingdowngreen- revenuefromtransporting house gas emissions. AARscoal will drop $5 billion by website states that preserv- 2030.Thisdecline,thanks ingthenaturalenvironmenttotheswitchbythepower isaresponsibilityrailroadsindustrytonaturalgasand take seriously. renewables, have led the rail Railmaynotbesuitablecarriers to emphasize differ-for every load, but its beyondent,and,hopefully,cleaner, debatethatfreightrailtrans- (GREENINGcontinued portationrightnowismoreon page 4)fuel efficient for long-distance moves than trucksby three to four times, according to AAR claims. Rail accounts for 40% ofU.S.long-distancefreight volume but only 2.1% of trans-portation-relatedemissions, accordingtoEnvironmental Protection Agency data. K ingC oala bdiCatesBut are the railroads really committed to tackling climateAn change,orisAARspaper merely window dressing?Areportpublishedin TheAtlanticinDecemberincredibly 2019,foundthatfourClass IrailroadsBNSF,Norfolk Southern,UnionPacific,satisfied and CSXhave been major players in the climate-denial movement,havingjoined theAmericanCoalitionforcustomer Clean Coal Electricity, which in 2014 called climate change ahypothesisandclaimedwas here. that carbon dioxide was more beneficialtohumansthan harmful. (BNSF and UP are(BRIEFLY)nolongermembersofthat group.) The AAR doesnt get offthehookeither,having An Incredibly Satis ed Customer Was Here AJOT 8x 10 No Bleed 1/10/20beenfoundbytheAtlantic to have participated in eightWelcome to done.toxicallyregressiveand reallyharmfulclimate- Less congestion. More opportunity. denial groups.While there is absolutelyAll at the speed of business. This is noexcuseforabettingTitle:Pub:theTrim Size:Bleed Size:Close Date:North Carolina Ports.Having the disseminationofnonfactualfastest turn times on the East Coast is information,therailroadsjust part of our story. Were also known supportofthecoalindus- for unbeatable service and unparalleled try is understandable from aef ciencies. With a wider turning basin NCP 14318 - Satis ed Customer - AJOT - 8x10 NC Ports 14318 InDesign CC 4Cstrictlybusinessstandpoint.that allows vessels up to 14,000 TEUs and Transporting coal, especiallyexpanded refrigerated container capacity, forthepowergenerationweve grown to help you do the same. industry,was,andstillis,aWere never donending better ways major source of Class I rail- to help you discover the power road revenues, although it is on the decline.of DONE. Learn more. In 2018, 70% of U.S. coalClient:Job #:App:Colors:800.213.4430File Name: was shipped by rail, contrib-uting $10.7 billion, or 14%,NCPorts.comof rail carrier revenue. AARs websiteclaims,tothisday, that coal remains an impor-tant commodity for railroads andforthebroaderecon-omy.Onthebasisoffacts like these, the Atlantic report indictedtherailcompanies NCP 14318 - Satisfied Customer - AJOT-8x10-1.0_mech.indd 1 1/6/20 10:28 AM'