CSX Becomes First Transportation Provider to Join Maryland Green Registry

CAMBRIDGE, Md., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- CSX is the first transportation provider selected to join the Maryland Green Registry, a voluntary self-certification program that promotes and recognizes sustainable practices by organizations throughout the state. The selection was announced yesterday evening by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley at a Maryland Chamber of Commerce Business Policy Dinner in Cambridge, Maryland.

The Maryland Green Registry includes organizations that complete a best practices profile covering environmental management and leadership, waste reduction, energy and water conservation, transportation, and green building design.

"Maryland businesses like CSX already know that even relatively simple steps to reduce our impact on the environment save money and create a healthier workplace," said Governor Martin O'Malley. "The Maryland Green Registry provides an opportunity for these organizations to share their stories and inspire others to take steps to protect our air, land, and water, including the Chesapeake Bay. We're fortunate to have more than 80 organizations in our State who have agreed to come forward and participate - including CSX - and we hope to have hundreds more organizations join us."

"Environmental sustainability is fundamental to CSX's management principles and good business practices," said Michael Ward, Chairman, President and CEO of CSX. "CSX is proud to join the Maryland Green Registry, and we look forward to working with other participants to build a greener future for Maryland, where CSX has a long and proud history."

CSX was selected for the Maryland Green Registry due to its overall commitment to environmental sustainability. CSX recently announced a plan to reduce C02 emissions by 2.4 million tons - the equivalent of taking 441,000 cars off the road each year, or burning 5,598,000 fewer barrels of oil.

Trains can move a ton of freight more than 436 miles on a single gallon of fuel, making rail transportation three times more fuel-efficient than highway transportation. Efficient use of fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions. According to the EPA, freight railroads account for just 2% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from transportation sources and well under 1% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

CSX is also a sponsor of the National Gateway. The National Gateway is a public-private partnership that proposes a state-of-the-art rail corridor linking the East Coast's international deepwater ports and major consumption markets with the population and manufacturing centers of the Midwest. The National Gateway will deliver over $2 billion of public benefits to Maryland by creating over 10,000 jobs, increasing the market access potential for the Port of Baltimore by 114%, eliminating over 2 million tons of CO2 emissions, reducing highway congestion and shifting 1.6 billion freight truck miles to rail.

CSX has partnered with the EPA as the railroad industry's charter member in the SmartWay Transport Partnership and the first transportation company to join the EPA's Climate Leaders Program, leading voluntary improvements in greenhouse gas 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.