Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC - The Sierra Club recently responded to a Request for Information from the Department of Energy (DOE) on strategies to decarbonize rail.
The response includes detailed insights into five different types of railroad motive power and their energy efficiency, environmental impacts, and technical issues. It includes steps that electric utilities and railroads can take to implement rail electrification, as well as the need for investment in workforce development to support the transition to clean energy.
It also references Sierra Club’s latest statement on rail, which was released last August and outlined a series of recommendations to improve both passenger and freight rail, as well as expand rail electrification.
Katherine Garcia, director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign, released the following statement about the recommendations:
“Sierra Club is pleased that the Biden-Harris administration offered this opportunity to provide input on recommendations to decarbonize rail. Sierra Club’s response shows there is so much the federal government can do to make rail systems less polluting and more efficient as they transport people and goods.
“The Sierra Club’s recommendations to DOE lay out pathways the agency should pursue to invest in rail and create good jobs, reduce traffic congestion, cut climate pollution, and improve air quality in communities across the nation. For all these benefits to the public and planet, rail needs to be a priority."
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.