CSX Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Earth Day

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CSX Corporation (NYSE: CSX), a leader among transportation companies in environmental stewardship, is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with a week-long celebration around its network which includes rail yard clean sweeps, employee engagement and education activities, and local beautification projects.

"Protecting the environment and reducing our carbon footprint are a major focus of our everyday operations. We welcome the chance on this 40th anniversary of Earth Day to celebrate our accomplishments and look for new areas of improvement," said Skip Elliott, CSX vice president, public safety and environment.

CSX's Earth Day celebrations kick off tomorrow, Saturday, April 17 with sponsorship of and participation in the 2010 Earth Day & Ecology Fair in Jacksonville, Florida, where CSX is headquartered.  This is the 16th year that CSX has sponsored the event.

Throughout the following week, employees around the network will participate in litter-reduction "clean sweeps" of CSX facilities, wellness fairs, conservation and recycling education programs, and beautification projects. CSX facilities in Atlanta, GA; Birmingham, AL; Cleveland, OH; Cumberland, MD; Evansville, IN; Hamlet, NC; Jacksonville, FL; Louisville, KY; Nashville, TN; Riverdale, IL; Selkirk, NY; Russell, KY; and Waycross, GA will participate.

The railroad is also proud to recognize its second-annual Environmental Award winners during the week; on April 21, CSX will host a best practices exchange and awards dinner for customers whose responsible environmental policies improve the environment.  

CSX will conclude its Earth Day events on April 24, with sponsorship of and participation in a cleanup day in Washington, D.C. coordinated by the Anacostia Watershed Society.

CSX's environmental stewardship commitment extends beyond Earth Day and encompasses all of its operations. CSX was the first railroad to join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Climate Leaders Program, and in 2009 voluntarily committed to reduce CO2 emissions by 8 percent per revenue ton mile by 2011.  CSX was also the charter railroad member of EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership, which promotes voluntary reductions in fuel consumption and emissions.  In 2007, CSX became the first railroad to win the SmartWay Excellence Award, which recognizes freight carriers that have made significant contributions to protecting the environment.

Since 2000, CSX has invested more than $1.5 billion to purchase new Tier I and II clean air locomotives, and has upgraded its locomotives to further reduce emissions and fuel consumption.  CSX has also entered into innovative public-private partnerships around its network to fund the use of new ultra-low emissions GenSet locomotives that dramatically reduce emissions and meet stringent noise level requirements.  These changes, combined with environmentally conscious operations around the network, have helped CSX significantly reduce its carbon emissions.

CSX Corporation, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is a leading transportation company providing rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services. The company's transportation network spans approximately 21,000 miles with service to 23 eastern states and the District of Columbia, and connects to more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at the Company's web site, www.csx.com.

SOURCE CSX Corporation