Subject: FW: Railroad background From: "amy mcbeth" To: "andrear" Cc: "Bjorge, Lydia" Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2020 4:56:03 PM Subject: Railroad background Andrea – thanks so much for reaching out. Given the limited time before your meeting, I thought it would be helpful to give you a few high level points and then offer to give more background if interested or hold additional conversations where you think it may be helpful. Here are a few points I know you already know, but that may be useful to remind folks of: * Railroads play a vital role in our nation’s supply chain. Railroad workers here in La Crosse and throughout the region have been working through the pandemic to move the products communities need every day, like medicine, paper products, food and supplies. We’re fortunate to have so many rail employees and their families live, work and recreate here in La Crosse, and we appreciate what they’ve done during the pandemic and every day to keep the goods we need moving. * Electrifying the entire rail system would be cost prohibitive at this point. Railroads are not taxpayer funded. They are privately owned and maintained, and companies regularly invest billions of dollars each year into those private networks. * Railroads provide the safest, most fuel-efficient way to move freight by land, and they’re continuing to look at ways to reduce their impact on the environment. * BNSF has upgraded the majority of its locomotive fleet to more energy-efficient technologies over the last decade, which helps increase fuel efficiency and decrease emissions. * Most of their road locomotives use systems that help maximize fuel efficiency and train handling through better throttle use and brake use. Almost all of their locomotives have auto start /stop devices to prevent unneeded idling. * Other initiatives like electric cranes are in use by BNSF at its large intermodal facilities, which produce zero emissions. And the industry is constantly looking at additional ways to improve efficiencies. For more background, we issue a sustainability report every year: http://www.bnsf.com/bnsf- resources/pdf/in-the-community/environment/sustainability-report-2017.pdf I hope this helps a bit. Thanks again for reaching out; it was great to talk with you! Amy McBeth BNSF Railway