CSX Employee Wins Rail Industry's Environmental Excellence Award

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today awarded its highest honor for environmental professionals, the 2013 North American Environmental Employee Excellence Award, to CSX manager of environmental remediation Matthew Adkins. Adkins was one of seven industry professionals nominated for this annual award, and is the sixth CSX employee to win in the last 12 years.

Adkins is a longtime CSX employee who began his career as an environmental specialist in Corbin, Ky., in 1996. He recently led a team that successfully remediated the former Gautier Oil creosote treatment plant in Gautier, Miss., spending nine years investigating, designing, and executing a plan to restore and enhance the 24-acre coastal site. Now part of a conservation easement, the site was granted Wildlife at Work certification by the Wildlife Habitat Council.

"Matt is an exemplary steward of CSX's environmental efforts who has successfully managed a number of complex remediation projects, demonstrating strong leadership, creativity and superior project management skills," said Skip Elliott, vice president, public safety, health and environment. "Across projects, he consistently engages stakeholders including local leaders and community organizations to generate the best possible results for everyone involved."

Adkins is a strong proponent of continuing education opportunities and uses his time and talent to develop training courses and materials for CSX employees and other industry professionals. He was instrumental in the creation of the Direct to Locomotive Fuel Vendor Review protocol, which he continues to manage across the CSX network. This successful program evaluates the work performance by the vendors and provides a means for additional training and constructive feedback.

Adkins is the second CSX employee to be recognized with an industry environmental award this year. In May, the AAR named Rick McNey, CSX manager of maintenance for the Curtis Bay Pier in Baltimore, MD, winner of the 2013 John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence Award for his commitment to environmental stewardship. 

About CSX
CSX, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a premier transportation company. It provides rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services and solutions to customers across a broad array of markets, including energy, industrial, construction, agricultural, and consumer products. For more than 185 years, CSX has played a critical role in the nation's economic expansion and industrial development. Its network connects every major metropolitan area in the eastern United States, where nearly two-thirds of the nation's population resides. It also links more than 240 short-line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports with major population centers and small farming towns alike. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at www.csx.com.  Like us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/OfficialCSX) and follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/CSX).

SOURCE CSX Corporation