SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah bill which would require Union Pacific to use less-polluting locomotives in a Salt Lake City yard has been placed on hold at the request of the legislation’s sponsor, who says there have been “productive” conversations with the railroad.
The Deseret News reports state Rep. Mike Schultz, the House majority leader, asked the Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Committee to hold HB405.
Schultz said the railroad had agreed to remove three Tier 0 switchers from Salt Lake City’s Roper Yard by the middle of the year, replacing them with four locomotives meeting stricter Tier 2 pollution standards, and had agreed to work with lawmakers to bring Tier 4 diesels, those meeting the strictest current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards, to the yard. UP also “expressed willingness” to test electric technology for container movement within the next year or two.
The move to place the bill on hold came just a week after the legislation — which would require UP to use electric or hydrogen fuel-cell locomotives at the yard by 2028 — received expedited movement through committee and approval by the full House [see “Utah bill would require UP use of zero-emission switchers …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 23, 2022]. At the time, Schultz voiced complaints that the railroad wasn’t considering Salt Lake City for the battery-electric switchers it has ordered, while other legislators indicated unhappiness with the railroad’s stance on other legislation.
Union Pacific would be wise to abandon service to where it is unwelcome. I’m sure Utahns will welcome a “Utah Without Union Pacific”.
John, Who said UP isn’t wanted in Utah? Also, UP shareholders must be glad you are not running the UP!
Seeing that UP just ordered the new electric switchers for Long Beach (warm weather) and North Platte (cold weather), I would think the SLC armchair bosses would like to see the results of the UP trial first.
Don’t these stupid Utah politicians realize that railroad’s already produce less pollution per mile than ANY other form of transportation?
This so -called proposed emissions bill is nothing more than smoke and mirrors designed to continually keep the gullible population of Utah, who voted for Romney fooled.
Which in reality must not be all that hard to do.
Utah, a crooked politician’s dream.!
There is the old line about politics and making sausage that probably applies here. The outcome is reasonable enough, but the process is a little ugly.
IMHO, this is exactly how these maters should be addressed. Large corporations with deep pockets should be helping reduce the effects of old technology without being pressured to go way overboard in a knee jerk policy being forced on them by government.
Ultimately it is time to start retiring tier 0 locomotives from urban centre railroad operations.