Energy Eden

CSX Corporation (CSX), a leading rail-based transportation supplier reports that according to EPA estimates, “for every ton-mile, a typical truck emits roughly three times more nitrogen oxide and particulates than a locomotive. If just 10 of the nation’s freight were shifted to rail, fuel savings would approach one billion gallons annually.” With this knowledge in mind, CSX Corporation launched the National Gateway Project in May 2008, an 842 million public-private infrastructure initiative to create a highly efficient freight transportation link between the Mid-Atlantic ports and the Midwest. CSX reports that when complete, the project will also improve the flow of goods between eastern and western rail networks as well as benefiting the nation as a whole by:

• Avoiding 20 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions;
• Reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil;
• Assisting states in attainment of federal clean air standards;
• Reducing 7,000 tons of nitrogen oxides;
• Reducing 1,000 tons of particulate matter;
• Saving nearly two billion gallons of fuel;
• Improving safety and highway congestion by maximizing the efficiency of freight rail and partnering with trucking companies to reduce truck miles traveled by more than 14.3 billion miles;
• Increasing economic competitiveness by saving 3.5 billion in shipper and logistics costs, significantly increasing freight capacity, reducing transit times by 24 to 48 hours between West Coast ports and major population centers; and tripling the market access potential for the ports of Baltimore, Hampton Roads and Wilmington;
• Creating more than 50,000 jobs, including more than 25,000 jobs in 14 economically distressed areas (more than 4,000 jobs are to be created by the end of 2012); and
• Repairing and replacing declining infrastructure, replacing older bridges and avoiding more than 670 million in pavement maintenance costs, while requiring no public funding for ongoing maintenance.

For more information on this project and other forward-looking environmental advancements that may be of interest to you as you work to curtail your own energy use check out the CSX website. CSX: How tomorrow moves.