The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has named John Barnard of BNSF Railway the 2023 John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence Award recipient. This award is named in honor of the late Rhode Island senator, a strong advocate for environmental causes and the eco-friendly benefits of rail transportation. The annual award recognizes a railroad employee who has demonstrated the highest level of environmental stewardship in the previous year.

“Each day across the nation, railroaders are driving the industry forward in safety, efficiency and our commitment to a more sustainable future,” said AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies. “John Barnard, our 2023 Chafee award honoree, has spent three decades advancing BNSF’s fueling practices to substantially reduce emissions and other environmental impacts across the railroad. Congratulations to John and all the nominees whose leadership and passion is pivotal to building an even more environmentally responsible rail industry.”

John Barnard, Director of Fueling Operations for BNSF Railway and 2023 John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence Award recipient with AAR SVP of Safety & Operations Mike Rush

John Barnard serves as Director – Fueling Operations for BNSF Railway where he is responsible for the fuel supply, purchasing and capital maintenance across the railroad’s 50+ fuel facilities. With more than 90% of the railroad’s emissions associated with locomotive fuel usage, Barnard plays a key role in advancing BNSF’s emission reduction initiatives and improving environmental and sustainability metrics across its operations. Beyond BNSF, Barnard’s leadership and advocacy on the testing and deployment of renewable diesel and biodiesel has been key to the widespread usage of these fuels across the entire rail industry.

Additionally, Barnard has deployed pragmatic, innovative solutions that have enhanced fuel tank inspections and reduced fuel spillage for the railroad. Barnard’s innovative thinking has allowed BNSF, with the help of robotic technology, to overhaul how it inspects fuel tanks. Using these robots has increased the efficiency, quality and safety of fuel tank inspections that can be performed without human entry into the tank and occur while fuel tanks are still full. Barnard has also patented his Glass Eye Monitoring System (GEMS) which increased safety, improved fuel dispensing efficiency and reduced locomotive fuel tank spillage across the network. His example and tireless pursuit of improvement across fueling operations has made him a trusted voice on driving measurable progress across the railroad and the entire industry.

In addition to Barnard, four other railroaders were nominated for the 2023 John H. Chafee Award. Nominees include:

• Kim Bowling, Director – Wayside Diagnostics, CSX Transportation

• Panos Kokkinos, Director – Facilities Services, Norfolk Southern Corporation

• Michael Robb, Manager – Enterprise GIS Data, Canadian Pacific Railway

• Nick Sahinen, Manager – Road Operations, Union Pacific Railroad