Amtrak measures, registers carbon footprint

Amtrak recently achieved Climate Registered status by successfully measuring its carbon footprint according to The Climate Registry's best-in-class program, then having it third-party verified and reporting the data on The Registry's website. With this status, Amtrak takes a major step toward reducing its energy usage, costs and carbon emissions.

The Climate Registry is a non-profit organization founded to set standards for businesses and governments to calculate, verify and publicly report their greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Registry program helped Amtrak calculate its complete carbon footprint from throughout its operation, including sources such as electricity use, facilities and station operations and motor vehicles.

Approximately 80% of Amtrak's 2010 emissions resulted from the operation of rolling stock, which includes diesel and electric locomotives. Through partnerships with organizations like The Climate Registry, Amtrak continues to look for ways to contribute to the nation's environmental health by attracting automobile and airline travelers, while simultaneously exploring options or improving efficiency and reducing fossil fuel consumption, according to the agency.

To view Amtrak's climate data, click here.