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11/25/2025
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) yesterday announced it has recognized four railroaders for their contributions to environmental stewardship and sustainability across the freight-rail industry.
The Environmental Excellence Award is presented annually to a railroader whose work in environmental, sustainability, or safety functions has significantly improved environmental performance, according to an AAR press release.
This year’s awardee and nominees include employees whose work strengthens environmental performance and demonstrates the industry’s continued commitment to responsible operations. AAR presented the 2025 Environmental Excellence Award to Union Pacific Railroad's Mike Makerov, with additional nominations honoring CN’s Kari Harris, CSX’s Brian Booth and Norfolk Southern Railway’s Terri Allen.
Makerov, UP's senior manager of environmental remediation, has more than 25 years of environmental experience, including roles as an agency case manager, consultant and remediation leader for two Class Is. He oversees more than 100 remediation projects across California and is widely recognized for navigating some of the nation’s most complex regulatory landscapes.
His leadership was central to a major Northern California cleanup that required extensive agency coordination, public engagement and the use of a unified command structure, an uncommon but effective approach for long-term remediation. The project involved excavating 170,000 tons of contaminated soil, removing concrete retaining walls, installing in-river barriers in a high-flow trout stream and operating an on-site wastewater treatment plant.
His work accelerated cleanup timelines, strengthened stakeholder collaboration and and avoided more than $10 million in unnecessary costs, AAR officials said.
CN's Harris has more than 30 years of environmental experience, managing over 50 projects across the United States and Canada and contributing to CN’s biodiversity program; Booth oversees environmental compliance across four states and has helped CSX earn more than 10 consecutive JEA Environmental Stewardship Awards; and Allen leads NS’s water and compliance programs under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, modernizes stormwater and wastewater systems and supports broader sustainability initiatives.