November 20,
2013
Investors, customers, communities benefit from more info on Norfolk
Southern’s environmental commitment
Railroad
achieves its best-ever carbon disclosure score
NORFOLK,
VA. – Norfolk Southern has achieved its best-ever score in reports that grade
large U.S. and global companies on how well they measure and manage their carbon
footprint.
In CDP’s 2013 S&P 500 and Global 500 climate change reports, Norfolk Southern scored a 90 for its carbon disclosure, on a scale of
0-100. That is a 2 percent improvement over its 2012 score of 88 and is the
company’s highest in the six years it has participated in the voluntary CDP
survey.
“As a responsible corporate citizen, Norfolk Southern strives to
continuously improve the way we manage potential environmental impacts of our
business operations, and we are pleased that this year’s disclosure score
reflects those efforts,” said Blair Wimbush, NS vice president real estate and
corporate sustainability officer.
Of 44 U.S. industrial-sector corporations in the CDP’s S&P 500
report, Norfolk Southern was among 14 that scored 90 or higher on carbon
disclosure.
CDP, formerly known as Carbon Disclosure Project, is an independent
not-for-profit organization that supports reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
and the sustainable use of water and forest resources. In addition to scoring
companies on their disclosure level, CDP awards performance grades of E to A to
measure a company’s efforts to mitigate climate change and reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. Norfolk Southern’s 2013 performance grade is B, matching its 2012 and
2011 grade.
By
the end of 2012, Norfolk Southern had accomplished nearly 69 percent of its goal
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent per revenue ton-mile between
2009 and 2014. The company has invested in locomotive fuel-saving technologies,
more efficient lighting and energy systems in rail facilities, and network
improvements that increase the capacity and fluidity of rail routes.
For
example, the company is investing nearly $30 million to equip road locomotives
with LEADER, a GPS-based computer system that helps engineers achieve maximum
fuel efficiency when operating trains. By diverting long-haul freight to trains
from trucks, the company’s Crescent Corridor – a public-private improvement
program that spans 11 states from Louisiana to New Jersey – has the potential to
reduce greenhouse gases by 1.9 million tons annually when fully developed. Last
year, the company invested nearly $1 million to replace lighting at six rail
yards in West Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, reducing energy use at
those facilities by 62 percent.
“We
are taking a comprehensive, strategic approach to reduce emissions throughout
our operation,” Wimbush said. “We are committed to
maintaining a high-quality system that leverages freight rail’s inherent
efficiencies in support of the economy, less highway congestion, and lower
overall fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.”
To learn more, read Norfolk Southern’s 2013 corporate sustainability
report at www.nssustainability.com.
CDP
collects data from the world's largest companies on behalf of more than 722
institutional investors with combined assets of $87
trillion. It provides the only global system for companies and cities to
measure, disclose, manage, and share vital environmental information.
Norfolk
Southern Corporation
is one of the nation’s premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern
Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route
miles
in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in
the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail
carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the
East and is a major transporter of coal, automotive, and industrial
products.
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