The Association of American Railroads (AAR) awarded the 2016 Professional Environmental Excellence Award to Russ McDaniel of Norfolk Southern. The annual award, presented during the Railroad Environmental Conference, recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding performance in environmental awareness and responsibility during the year.
"Railroads and environmental preservation go hand-in-hand and we proudly honor those who exhibit a commitment to environmental stewardship," stated AAR President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger. "Russ and railroad employees like him bring a range of environmental expertise, making them an integral part of the industry's successful environmental program in countless ways."
McDaniel, who has more than 20 years of experience in the rail industry, worked his way up through the environmental department, holding a number of engineering positions, before assuming his current position as the director of environmental engineering, remediation and compliance. As director, he oversees remediation of impacted sites, compliance with air and water permits and management of storm water protection and spill preparedness plans.
McDaniel and his team took on a $10 million, multi-year project to remediate a site that had housed a rail car manufacturing facility for nearly 100 years and restored 79 acres of the site for industrial use. He has also moderated sessions on storm water and waste water, environmental information systems and compliance.
McDaniel believes that practical and sustainable solutions are the best and that teamwork and collaboration are critical to success.
Other nominees for the 2016 Professional Environmental Excellence Award were Carl Akins, director environmental and hazardous materials with Kansas City Southern; George Bray, senior environmental specialist in the New England division of Amtrak; Stuart Boykin, environmental engineer at CSX; Todd Cabonor, head of industrial hygiene at Metra; Chantele Despres, director of sustainability for Canadian National; Susana Lizcano Gonzalez, an engineer at Union Pacific; and Gregory Jeffries, manager of environmental remediation at BNSF.