Image by Moving Forward Network. Used with permission.
The fight against toxic pollution caused by the freight transportation system is more than an environmental issue. It’s a matter of life and death for frontline and fenceline communities and workers. The network of trucks, trains, and ships moving goods across the country generates significant localized pollution for millions, exacerbating already toxic air in especially vulnerable communities and increasing cancer, respiratory, and additional public health risks.
Last month, the Joint Offices published the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization (Blueprint), developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development: An Action Plan for Rail Energy and Emissions Innovation outlining steps the United States can take to address the harms caused by the rail network. The rail blueprint proposes to reduce—and ultimately eliminate—emissions from the nation’s diesel locomotives by electrifying our rail networks with overhead catenary wires supplemented with rechargeable batteries in yards and terminals. In other words, the Joint Offices propose bringing the United States rail system up to par with one-third of the world’s already-electrified rail lines, which are capable of hauling the heaviest loads over the farthest distances. The EPA holds the key to bringing the solutions outlined in the National Blueprint to fruition by approving the In-Use Locomotive regulation—and the EPA needs to act now.
The Time to Act is Now: Harms of Locomotive and Railyard Emissions
The rail industry remains one of the most significant sources of pollution in communities across the country. More than 13 million people in the United States live and work near railyards, rail lines, and ports. Almost all locomotives in the United States still run on diesel. The science is sobering and clear: Rail pollution negatively affects the health, safety, and well-being of communities across the country.
Cargo facilities that serve as hubs in the goods movement network—like inland and seaports, railyards, and warehouses—and the channels that carry freight machinery—like freeways and rail lines—are often inequitably and unjustly located close to where people live, work, learn, and play.
Tracks are often located only feet away from homes, schools, playgrounds, and workplaces. Communities living near railyards and freight rail routes, where some of the dirtiest switcher and line-haul locomotives operate, suffer devastating health consequences. Diesel locomotives, the most widely used in the United States, have especially significant and long-lasting negative impacts on public health. Diesel pollution causes childhood asthma, lung disease, and even premature death. Low-income communities and communities of color suffer the most from the locomotive industry’s life-threatening pollution because railyards and rail routes are typically located in or near these communities.
The harms of locomotives go beyond public health. Bright lights, noises, and vibrations that feel like earthquakes are commonplace for rail-adjacent communities. Idling locomotives can prevent emergency vehicles and all traffic from moving. Trains are often stopped for hours, creating safety issues for children who have to jump through them as they walk to school. These cumulative impacts go largely unacknowledged and unaddressed by our elected leaders and regulators.
The EPA’s existing regulations to curb this devastating rail pollution are outdated and insufficient. Existing locomotive emission standards allow 50- or 60-year-old locomotives to operate and emit unnecessarily high levels of diesel exhaust, NOx, and particulate matter. Outdated locomotive standards paired with little to no regulatory oversight have allowed an aging freight sector to harm generations of families living in the shadow of rail operations.
Electrifying Rail Will Save Lives
The rail system does not have to continue to be a scourge to the health of millions of people. A significant step in confronting the cumulative impacts of rail transportation is simple - electrify the rail system and achieve a zero-emission freight system. But the United States is dangerously behind in electrifying its rail system, which would strengthen the economy, reduce air pollution, and provide scores of good-paying jobs. One-third of the world’s rail lines are electrified, and electric rail has been used for over 100 years, already transporting the heaviest freight cargo.
These solutions are outlined in the newly published and first-of-its-kind United States rail decarbonization plan. The “Blueprint” lays out a path to reduce the cumulative pollution impacts from railyards and other sectors while ensuring a just transition. As clearly laid out in the plan, the key to reducing—and ultimately eliminating—emissions from railroad diesel locomotives is electrifying rail systems with overhead catenary wires supplemented with rechargeable batteries in yards and terminals.
Moving to a zero-emission freight transportation system presents a unique opportunity to create high-quality, union-friendly jobs. Investments in catenary rail systems, zero-emission vehicles, and supporting infrastructure will require a skilled workforce, sparking job growth in engineering, manufacturing, construction, and maintenance. Programs prioritizing job training and workforce development are essential to ensure these opportunities are accessible to diverse communities.
The “Blueprint” offers an achievable vision for a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable future. However, executive actions without regulations will not lead to the critical long-term solutions we so urgently need and deserve.
Zero-emission solutions are available today. The EPA should approve the In-Use Locomotive regulation today in order to begin to bring the solutions outlined in the National Blueprint to fruition.
The EPA must support these critical rules to confront the legacy of deadly harm caused by the freight transportation system while moving essential zero-emission solutions. In addition, the EPA has the means to address the broader climate and public health crisis by fully approving the two pending regulatory solutions (known as waivers): the In-Use Locomotive Regulation and the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation.
The Moving Forward Network and Sierra Club call on the EPA to support communities and workers who have been forced to live with the consequences of freight transportation pollution for too long to approve ALL of the pending California waivers in full now.