Union Pacific railroad works to cut its carbon emissions
FILE - The crew on a Union Pacific freight train works at a siding, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, south of Tucson, Ariz. Union Pacific railroad plans to expand its use of renewable fuels and explore using battery-powered locomotives in the coming years to cut its emissions of greenhouse gases 26% by 2030. (AP Photo/David Boe, File)
Dec. 6, 2021 12:09 PM PT
OMAHA, Neb. —
Union Pacific railroad plans to expand its use of renewable fuels and explore using battery-powered locomotives in the coming years to cut its emissions of greenhouse gases.
The Omaha, Nebraska-based company said Monday that it plans to cut its emissions of greenhouse gases 26% by 2030 when compared to its 2018 levels.
To do that, the railroad plans to increase the amount of biodiesel it uses to 10% of all the fuel it uses by 2025, and it will continue working to reduce the amount of fuel it consumes by expanding its use of a cruise control system on its locomotives and continuing to refurbish older locomotives to improve their efficiency.
Union Pacific officials said the railroad will also work with locomotive manufacturers to develop battery-powered locomotives that could be used in some of its railyards, but it will likely still be several years before those are available.
UP CEO Lance Fritz said the railroad is taking "deliberate steps to improve our environmental footprint."
In addition to those environmental goals, railroad officials said they want to increase the diversity of Union Pacific's workforce by doubling the number of women it employs and significantly increasing the number of minority workers it employs. By 2030, the railroad wants 11% of its employees to be women and 40% to be people of color.
Union Pacific is one of the nation's largest railroads, and it operates 32,400 miles (52,000 kilometers) of track in 23 Western states.
Get U-T Business in your inbox on Mondays
Get ready for your week with the week's top business stories from San Diego and California, in your inbox Monday mornings.
Trump starts 3rd White House bid lagging in campaign cash
New campaign finance reports show that former President Donald Trump's political operation started this year with about $25 million socked away for his recently launched presidential campaign
Adani scraps $2.5B share sale after fraud claims hit stock
Embattled Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has called off his flagship company's sale of $2.5 billion shares
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are preparing for their first meeting since the GOP leader took power
Federal Reserve raises its key rate for an 8th time but by a lower quarter-point as inflation pressures ease
Qatar Airways and Airbus have reached a settlement in a longstanding legal dispute over the A350 jetliner and billions of orders for other planes
'From a sprint to a crawl': San Diego home price dropping faster than other cities
SDG&E posts a price drop of 67.8% for natural gas for February
Alaska Airlines adds nonstop flights to Washington D.C., Oregon and Florida from San Diego airport
US senators demand more details from San Diego's Silvergate about ties to crypto transfers
Ukraine hails French gift of radar as 'cherry on the cake'
Czechs to end checks at Slovak border amid migration decline