(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on May 23.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Railroad employees from Swarthmore, Pa.; Barstow, Calif.; Toronto, Ont.; Glenmont, N.Y.; Portsmouth, Ohio; and North Little Rock, Ark. Will be honored for their contributions to the environment at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday May 25 when the Association of American Railroads announces the winner of the John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence Award.
Senator Lincoln Chafee, R-Rhode Island, will present the award, which honors his father’s legacy as a leading environmentalist who understood and promoted the environmental advantages of rail transportation.
“The connection between railroads and the environment is a strong one,”said AAR President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger. “Railroads are more fuel efficient than other modes of transportations and are responsible for fewer atmospheric emissions. Beyond that, we are blessed with tens of thousands of environmentally-conscious employees who — in addition to their daily job responsibilities — have dedicated extra time and effort to protecting the environment.”
The nominees are as follows:
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Tom Franklin, who manages a locomotive facility for Union Pacific in Little Rock, Ark.
When Mr. Franklin took over the facility, he found numerous environmental issues, which he promptly addressed by replacing worn and leaky fuel equipment. He helped develop regulators that prevent diesel spills from automatic shut off equipment. Other accomplishments include development of an environmentally safe storage mechanism for locomotive toilet chemicals; development of a color-coded “know your drains” program to ensure proper disposal of environmentally sensitive materials; and development of an oil recycling program that allows employees to properly dispose of their personal used motor oils. Mr. Franklin is also an active environmentalist away from the job, donating his time and efforts to help maintain sections of Arkansas’ hiking trails.
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Sam Hill, director of procurement, for Amtrak in Philadelphia.
Mr. Hill has been instrumental in streamlining the contracting processes for Amtrak’s environmental services, including environmental engineering, spill response, waste disposal and pest control. He was responsible for developing national contracts for hazardous material disposal and environmental engineering services, providing corporate control and standardization to what previously had been a hodge-podge of more than 40 local contracts. Mr. Hill also fostered the use of interdisciplinary teams to evaluate the technical components of contract proposals, working with them to develop technical evaluation criteria.
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Kimberly Kitchen, terminal manager, Wheelersburg, Ohio, Terminal, a coal transloading, storage and blending facility owned by Norfolk Southern.
For the past six years, Ms. Kitchen has served as the facilities response coordinator, with responsibilities for spill prevention, control and countermeasures and for storm water pollution prevention. She has created a custom environmental compliance training program for Wheelersburg employees and has developed materials to handle fuel spills, dispose of used absorbent materials, recycle and monitor emissions. When she discovered one vendor was causing the terminal to exceed allowable discharge limits, she immediately stopped the discharge and ordered the vendor to initiate sediment control processes and to clean a tributary to the Ohio River to remove any remaining sediment.
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Elaine Lepage, business analyst, Damage Prevention and Claims Services Department, Canadian Pacific in Toronto.
Ms. Lepage has been very active in a program established by the city of Toronto in 2001 to divert waste from landfills. In 2003, she was named Citizen Co-Chair for the New & Emerging Technologies, Policies and Practices Advisory Group, which was formed to review new and emerging technologies, policies and practices for managing waste. It identified options that could allow Toronto to achieve a redirection rate for solid wastes of up to 96 percent. Ms. Lepage then used what she learned through her participation in the Advisory Group to promote Reuse/Reduce/Recycle opportunities at the Canadian Pacific Railway. Her work on the Advisory Group was so well respected that she was selected by Toronto to represent the city on a benchmarking trip to the Netherlands.
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Martha Rochelle, laborer foreman in the Mechanical Department, BNSF Railway in Barstow, California.
Ms. Rochelle’s accomplishments include improved spill cleanup practices, collection points for used batteries and spent lamps, improved disposal of used oil, improved storage for grease and other petroleum products, increased revenue from recycling and reduced waste disposal fees. She is also very active in the community. According to Barstow Mayor Lawrence Dale, “She helps in any area necessary to clean up our city” and is especially helpful in handling hazardous wastes.
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Paul Watson, manager of locomotive training, CSX Transportation Glenmont, N.Y.
Mr. Watson started with the railroad 29 years ago as a laborer. He soon became involved in developing and implementing a number of successful environmental training programs. Fueling operations at his facility saw an 87 percent reduction in spillage as a result of a training program he helped design. He also has conducted effective outreach to local emergency responders and neighboring citizens. He is also active environmentally outside of work, serving as a volunteer fireman and working with fellow members of the Audubon Society to maintain nature trails.