It was great to be back in person for the 24th annual Railroad Environmental Conference (RREC) held on 2-3 November 2022 at the iHotel Illinois Conference Center. This two day conference had over 430 people registered who had the opportunity to hear over 45 different presentations, visit with almost 50 exhibitors, and attend one of three technical tours. The conference has seen significant growth since the first event in 1999 that had 150 attendees and 9 exhibitors. Mark your calendars now for the 25th annual conference to be held 14-15 November 2023 at the iHotel Illinois Conference Center in Champaign.
Also at RREC the 2022 Environmental Excellence Award from the Association of American Railroads (AAR) was announced. This is the highest honor for environmental professionals in the railroad industry. The seven nominees for the award were:
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- Nick Pryor, Environmental Project Manager, Kansas City Southern
- Michael Linder, Western Regional Manager, Field Operations, CN
- Mike Mendoza, Senior Engineer, Environmental, CSX
- Troy Carpenter, Regional Manager Environmental Operations, Norfolk Southern
- Dina Ledbetter, Senior Environmental Specialist, Amtrak
- Kevin Peterburs, Senior Manager, Site Remediation, Union Pacific
- James Taylor, Assistant Director-Advanced Energy Innovation, BNSF
The award was given to BNSF Assistant Director-Advanced Energy Innovation James Taylor. Read the article in Railway Age here.
