Pacific Harbor Line earns SmartWay Transport label

Pacific Harbor Line Inc. (PHL) has been designated a SmartWay Transport Partner, a designation awarded to companies involved in freight transportation that are committed to being environmentally efficient and cost effective.

Part of Anacostia Rail Holdings, PHL provides rail service to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched SmartWay in 2004 to encourage freight carriers and shippers to commit to making improvements in supply chain efficiency and reducing transportation-related emissions.

To become a partner, the short line submitted locomotive fleet performance data for 2014, which the EPA used to calculate an emissions and greenhouse gas footprint for PHL. The EPA compared that data to that of other railroads and modes of transportation "and we met the requirements" to be in the program, said Don Norton, PHL's director of sales and administration, in a press release.

Other railroads that have earned the SmartWay transport partner designation include BNSF Railway Co., CN, Canadian Pacific, CSX Transportation, Kansas City Southern Railway, Norfolk Southern Railway and Union Pacific Railroad.