From the Editor: BNSF, GHG & ESG

By Pat Foran, Editor

Within the past year, BNSF Railway Co. set a goal of reducing its greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions 30% by 2030, using 2018 as a baseline year. BNSF plans to achieve the goal by continuing to focus on fuel efficiency and exploring renewable fuels and advanced energy, as Senior Associate Editor Julie Sneider reports in this month’s cover story. 

BNSF isn’t the only Class I with big emission reduction plans. All of them set goals in the past year or so. Union Pacific Railroad is aiming to reduce GHG emissions 26% by 2030 (from a 2018 baseline); Norfolk Southern Corp. is targeting a 42% reduction in GHG intensity by 2034 (from a 2019 baseline); CSX is working to reduce GHG emissions intensity 37.3% (between 2014 and 2030); and CN is seeking to reduce scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 43% by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline), and scope 3 GHG emissions from fuel- and energy-related activities 40% by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline). In addition, Canadian Pacific is focusing on reducing GHG emissions intensity more than 38% by 2030 and Kansas City Southern is aiming to reduce GHG emissions intensity 42% by 2034 (from a 2019 base year). 

Emission reduction is only part of railroads’ sustainability plans — witness the ongoing environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) movement. For railroads, ESG isn’t a flavor of the month thing; it’s a for-the-foreseeable-future thing. Especially since many shippers have ESG goals of their own to meet. They’re also seeking like-minded business partners. As John Lovenburg, BNSF’s vice president of environmental and sustainability, told Sneider: “We also have to meet our customers’ expectations as far as where they’re going.” 

Technology/data summit videos available on RailPrime 

On May 19, Progressive Railroading hosted a virtual summit titled “The Connection of Technology and Data in Railroading.” The presenters: Allan Zarembski, professor and director of the railroad engineering and safety program at the University of Delaware; Mabby Amouie, senior director of analytics and chief data scientist for NS; and Kari Gonzales, CEO and president of MxV Rail (formerly Transportation Technology Center Inc.). 

The three-hour event was free to subscribers of RailPrime, our exclusive digital information offering dedicated to all things freight transportation and home to the lion’s share of our originally reported coverage. (Non-subscribers paid $99 to attend). 

You can view the three presentations on RailPrime. An annual subscription is $199; you also can subscribe monthly for $19.99. For more information about the site and to subscribe, visit progressiverailroading.com/railprime.