(Source: BNSF Railway press release, February 21, 2012)
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway’s economic development team worked with customers to locate hundreds of new or expanded facilities in communities across BNSF’s network over the past two years, generating $1.7 billion in new investments and 4,400 new U.S. jobs.
In 2011, BNSF customers invested $1.1 billion in 172 new or expanded facilities and created 2,130 jobs nationally. In 2010, BNSF customers invested $680 million in 136 new or expanded facilities, creating 2,316 jobs. There are also 373 additional customer projects under development on BNSF’s network that represent investments worth an estimated $5.3 billion and the potential to create over 9,600 jobs.
The 172 facilities located on BNSF in 2011 included wind power plants in Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico; wheat, corn and fertilizer facilities from Washington to Iowa, Kansas and Texas; and ethanol facilities in Montana, California, Texas and Kansas. Other companies that located along BNSF lines in 2011 include facilities for sand, steel, paper, and plastics.
In response to the growing demand for crude from the Bakken Shale formation in the Williston Basin, the BNSF economic development team assisted customers in locating and completing six new facilities in 2011 for crude oil and gas and several new or expanded facilities for inbound drilling material. These investments surpassed $125 million.
“Even during a downturn in the economy, we have been able to expand and add jobs in the states we serve,” said Vann Cunningham, BNSF assistant vice president, Economic Development. “We are pleased that the trend will continue into 2012, with a strong increase in Economic Development activities in areas that are strategic to BNSF’s operations, as well as the customers and communities we serve, such as the new Toyota Plant in Tupelo, Mississippi and the new job-creating development that is being attracted to the new BNSF intermodal facility under construction in Kansas.”