Greenhouse Gas Emissions
EPA Clean Air Excellence Award
We don’t wait for others to come up with new technologies for improving our environmental performance. Genset locomotive switching, a technology we developed in 2005, cuts greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 37 percent and particulate matter by an incredible 90 percent. We own more than half the 300 Gensets operating across the world, and Gensets are now used by every major railroad in the United States.
In June 2011, the EPA recognized our contribution to reduced emissions when it presented Union Pacific a Clean Air Excellence Award for our Genset development. California and Texas, where Union Pacific has its largest operations, also have recognized Union Pacific with their highest environmental achievements for our Genset development.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most important challenges facing the world today.
We recognize this, and we’re working to improve our long-term sustainability by reducing our emissions, especially for locomotives, which account for nearly all of our greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
Union Pacific shipped approximately 1 trillion tons of goods in 2011. Years of advancements to our technology and operating methods have resulted in significant improvements to our fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions rates. Our 19 percent fuel efficiency improvement since 2000 means we used 1.23 billion fewer gallons over that time, the equivalent of more than one year’s worth of fuel for our company. The fuel savings equals more than 12 million metric tons of savings in greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent annual GHG emissions from more than 2.4 million passenger vehicles.
We strive to strengthen our environmental profile and have a goal of reducing our locomotive fuel consumption rate by 1 percent annually starting in 2011 through 2015, which translates directly to an annual 1 percent reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions rate. Achieving this goal would represent a 23 percent reduction in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from locomotives between 2000 and 2015.
Unfortunately, we did not make our goal in 2011. Severe weather, including the excessive Texas drought and record Midwestern flooding, forced us to send many trains on indirect routes to their destinations, resulting in greater fuel consumption. The combination of these weather-related issues, along with an improving economy that increased freight volumes, required us to pull older, less fuel-efficient locomotives out of storage in order to meet customer demand. Despite these challenges, we remain committed to our goal of achieving a 23 percent greenhouse gas reduction from 2000 levels by 2015.
We believe we can further reduce our overall greenhouse gas emissions. We began reporting our locomotive greenhouse gas emissions in 2009 and expanded our reporting to include non-locomotive emissions in 2010. Union Pacific produced a total of 12,253,099 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels in 2011.
Union Pacific Locomotive Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Our 2011 rate of emissions increased by one-half of 1 percent as measured by gross ton miles. The expanding economy and severe weather patterns meant that our overall emissions from locomotives increased, from 10,771,069 metric tons in 2010 to 11,368,923 in 2011, a 6 percent increase, while gross ton miles increased 5 percent. Union Pacific’s emissions from biomass sources were 32,461 metric tons.
Scope 3 emissions from employee travel totaled 15,661 metric tons. Employee travel includes rental car fuel and commercial air travel. This is the first time we reported Scope 3 emissions.
Union Pacific's 2011 greenhouse gas inventory verified by Conestoga-Rovers & Associates. Union Pacific works with Trinity Consultants to compile its GHG Inventory. Conestoga-Rovers & Associates and Trinity Consultants are independent organizations. Excludes biomass sources.
Carbon Emission Estimator
Our investments in technology, our environmentally sustainable operating practices and the inherent fuel efficiency of rail mean Union Pacific trains are an effective low-carbon option for shipping freight. Visit the Carbon Emission Estimator to see how the carbon footprint for a Union Pacific shipment compares to other freight transportation.
Union Pacific’s three-pronged approach to improving fuel efficiency includes improving operations, incorporating technology and engaging employees.
When it comes to fuel savings, technology only gets you so far. As most drivers know, a key piece to saving fuel also is how you operate your vehicle. Reducing idling time and driving at a steady speed, rather than racing to a stop light only to stop and start again each time the light turns green, can do a lot to reduce the amount of fuel you burn, whether you’re driving a passenger vehicle or a 5,000 ton train.
Helping our locomotive engineers operate trains in the most fuel-efficient manner means that we can reduce fuel costs and reduce our locomotives’ emissions. Both of these objectives are important to us, which is why we created the Union Pacific Fuel Masters Unlimited program, which gives engineers the knowledge and tools they need to squeeze the most power out of each gallon of fuel. We’ve trained more than 7,000 engineers using this program, which is more than 95 percent of our road locomotive engineers.
We continue to invest in fuel efficiency technology, train employees how to use it and support ongoing operating best practices improvements.
