(The Stockton Record published the following story by Will Shuck on its website on August 7.)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer called on railroad operators Wednesday to use cleaner-burning locomotives as they chug through the smog-choked Central Valley.
Boxer and state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, want the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern railroads to commit to the same kind of emission reductions here that they promised to Southern California.
But railroad officials say there are great differences between railroad operations in populous Southern California and the agrarian Central Valley. Southern California, with its busy ports, is both a destination and a starting point for train service.
The Central Valley, on the other hand, is largely a road to somewhere else, they say. And that means that railroads don’t have the kind of large freight yards in the Valley that they would need to maintain the cleaner-burning locomotives here, said Mark Stehly, assistant vice president for environmental and hazardous materials with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.
However, both the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern railroads operate two major rail yards in San Joaquin County where shipments are transferred between trucks and trains.
The state Legislature cannot change emission rules for railroads. But Florez, whose special committee on Valley air quality hosted Boxer and the railroad officials Wednesday, is pushing for an agreement like the one in Southern California that promises to reduce diesel soot over the next several years.
In the San Joaquin Valley, trains account for about 27 tons of pollutants daily, or about 3 percent of the Valley’s air pollution, according to regional air regulators.
Florez thinks the railroads could adopt existing technology to cut about 9 tons of ozone-causing emissions each day. After the hearings, Florez said he expects negotiations to be under way next month.
Boxer made a brief appearance, commended Florez for his efforts and read a statement.
“Clean air is not a luxury,” she said. “It is a necessity for our people and for economic growth. I want you all to know that I will work with you as a partner so that we can make progress sooner rather than later.”
Florez, who has said he may run for governor in the Oct. 7 recall election, has authored a package of air-quality reforms this year. His measures would reduce, among other things, air pollution generated by agricultural operations.