[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1366 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1366

          Recognizing and honoring the freight rail industry.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 18, 2010

 Mr. Hare (for himself, Ms. Norton, Ms. Richardson, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. 
Schauer, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. Wu, Mr. Filner, Ms. 
 Corrine Brown of Florida, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Rush, Mr. Costello, Mr. 
  Cummings, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Manzullo, Mr. Bachus, Ms. 
Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. DeFazio, and Mr. Gary G. Miller of 
 California) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
           the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
          Recognizing and honoring the freight rail industry.

Whereas the United States utilizes the most efficient and productive freight 
        railroad system in the world;
Whereas freight rail has played a critical role in the economic development of 
        the United States and has helped to build cities and strengthen 
        infrastructure throughout this great Nation;
Whereas the first railroad in North America, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, was 
        chartered by the State of Maryland in 1827;
Whereas freight rail has been instrumental in bringing American goods to market 
        nationally and internationally since 1830;
Whereas the United States freight rail network has over 560 railroad companies, 
        includes 140,000 miles of track and carries more than 2,200,000,000 tons 
        of freight annually;
Whereas 43 percent of all intercity freight volume is moved by freight rail, 
        including the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the coal we use for 
        domestic energy, and the automobiles we drive;
Whereas freight railroads have nearly doubled the amount of cargo they have 
        shipped over the past 3 decades with virtually no increase in fuel 
        consumption;
Whereas freight rail is one of the most fuel-efficient modes of transportation, 
        able to move one ton of freight 480 miles on 1 gallon of diesel fuel;
Whereas freight railroads have increased fuel economy by an average of 45 
        percent since 1990;
Whereas, from 1980 to 2009, United States freight railroads consumed 
        55,000,000,000 fewer gallons of fuel and emitted 617,000,000 fewer tons 
        of carbon dioxide than they would have if their fuel efficiency had not 
        improved;
Whereas the freight railroad sector complies with the Environmental Protection 
        Agency's new locomotive emissions standards which will cut particulate 
        emissions by up to 90 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 80 
        percent;
Whereas the freight rail industry has created good-paying jobs and provided its 
        workers with good benefits, and as of 2008, there were 183,743 employees 
        working for the freight railroads;
Whereas freight rail continues to play a vital role in the United States growth, 
        job creation, and economic recovery;
Whereas freight rail companies have reinvested $460,000,000,000 in revenues 
        toward equipment, maintenance, and rail expansion since 1980, which has 
        supported employment and economic activity throughout the United States;
Whereas such investments have continued even during the economic downturn, with 
        major railroads spending more that $10,000,000,000 in 2008 on capital 
        improvements and similar amounts in 2009;
Whereas for every $1 invested in freight rail capacity, the national economy 
        sees $3 in economic output;
Whereas freight rail growth will continue to generate jobs and produce a 
        reliable means of transporting goods;
Whereas the seven Class 1 freight railroads have joined the Environmental 
        Protection Agency's ``SmartWay Transport'', which works to improve fuel 
        efficiency and reduce harmful greenhouse gases;
Whereas both the public and private sector and organized labor have contributed 
        significantly toward the creation of the freight rail infrastructure we 
        use today;
Whereas the freight rail industry has built one of the world's most envied 
        infrastructure networks; and
Whereas a strong freight rail system is critical to the economic and 
        environmental well-being of the United States of America: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the contributions the freight rail industry 
        has made to the national transportation system; and
            (2) supports the freight rail industry's efforts to 
        continue improving safety as our Nation moves forward with 
        developing its infrastructure.
                                 <all>