Now is the time for EPA to begin a rulemaking to adopt a zero-emission locomotive standard that will clean the air for communities, give states the opportunity to meet air quality standards set by the Clean Air Act, and ensure that we are doing everything in our power to have a livable climate for generations to come. [...] Now is the time for the Biden Administration and the EPA to address the health crisis created by the freight system, and rail pollution in particular. [...] 18 It is common practice for locomotives to be remanufactured every seven to ten years to ensure the locomotive engine continues to function properly, and to extend the life of the locomotive. [...] A failure by EPA to adopt a strong, health-preserving zero-emission locomotive standard—and to instead permit the continued use of polluting fuels to power locomotives in close proximity to low-income communities of color—would amount to the agency disregarding the existing race- and income-based health disparities that are prevalent in communities where railyards and locomotive pollution are conc. [...] While diesel-powered trains transfer about 30-35 percent of the energy generated by combustion to the wheels, overhead powerlines transfer an incredible 95 percent of the electricity to the wheels.93 Electric locomotives are also the highest-powered locomotives in the world, and capable of carrying the heaviest loads.
- Pages
- 33
- Published in
- United States of America
