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4/26/2023
The Association of American Railroads has awarded John Barnard of BNSF Railway Co. the 2023 John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence Award, AAR announced yesterday.
The award recognizes a railroad employee who has demonstrated the highest level of environmental stewardship in the previous year. It is named after the late Rhode Island senator, who was a strong advocate for environmental causes and the eco-friendly benefits of rail transportation, AAR officials said in a press release.
Barnard is director of fueling operations at BNSF, where he's responsible for fuel supply, purchasing and capital maintenance at more than 50 fueling facilities. With more than 90% of the railroad’s emissions associated with locomotive fuel usage, Barnard plays a key role in advancing BNSF’s emission reduction initiatives and improving environmental and sustainability metrics across its operations, AAR officials said.
Outside of BNSF, Barnard’s leadership and advocacy on the testing and deployment of renewable diesel and biodiesel has been key to the widespread usage of these fuels across the entire rail industry, they said.
Four other railroaders were nominated for the 2023 Chafee Award. They are: Kim Bowling, director of wayside diagnostics at CSX; Panos Kokkinos, director of facility services at Norfolk Southern Railway; Michael Robb, manager of enterprise GIS data at Canadian Pacific Kansas City; and Nick Sahinen, manager of road operations at Union Pacific Railroad.