Union Pacific

Hazmat and Chemical Risk Reduction

Union Pacific complies with all laws and regulations on hazardous materials and chemical transportation. We are required by federal law to transport hazardous materials, and 99.99 percent of the chemicals we ship for our customers move without incident. We will not be satisfied until we meet 100 percent of our objectives. Find out more about our hazardous material management and chemical risk reduction policies and practices.

Environmental Collaboration

When it comes to protecting the environment and improving environmental sustainability, Union Pacific can’t do it alone. We rely on strong relationships with a range of public and private-sector partners to design and implement practices that reduce the impact of our operations on the environment. In 2011, Union Pacific expanded efforts with the Global Environmental Management Initiative and the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps program. Find out more about these and other important collaborative efforts.

Climate Change and Risk Factors

Union Pacific is committed to being part of the solution to climate change challenges and considers risks associated with climate change in our regular activities.

This isn’t just because we care about being good stewards of the land – it’s also good business to limit our exposure to the risks of climate change. We believe that any long-term approach to the climate change challenge must include measures that ensure a reduced carbon footprint as well as economic growth and prosperity. Our trains are part of this solution by providing a fuel-efficient, lower-emissions way to ship goods to market and connect buyers and sellers.

We are taking concrete actions today to strengthen our railroad’s ability to withstand future changes and events that might be associated with climate change. It is possible that future legislative and regulatory action on climate change could affect our operations and financial performance (see the risk factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K). However, we are currently unable to predict such impact. We continuously explore new ways to increase our fuel efficiency and reduce our fuel consumption rate by constantly working to develop innovative locomotive technology, strengthen engineer training and implement employee development with an eye toward conservation.