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Yesterday, Union Pacific Railroad announced it will use a diesel-hybrid locomotive in light switching service at its Fresno, Calif., yard to help reduce air emissions in cooperation with federal, state and local environmental agencies. Built by RailPower Technologies Corp., the Green Goat is powered by banks of storage batteries, which are recharged by a small low-emissions diesel engine when the locomotive’s not running.

The California Air Resources Board has designated the locomotive as "ultra low emitting" because its exhaust emissions are significantly lower than current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements. The Green Goat is designed to reduce emissions 80 percent to 90 percent compared with a conventional switcher.

The Green Goat is one of several low-emissions locomotive technologies UP is evaluating, said President Jim Young in a prepared statement. The Class I tested the locomotive at its Roseville, Calif., and Chicago yards between second-half 2002 and first-half 2003.