PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. - CN Rail says it took no specific measures to reduce air pollutant emissions during the six-day air quality advisory last week, but is generally taking action to reduce pollutants, the Citizen reports.
The North American rail giant -- the only company that provides rail freight services in Prince George and northern B.C. -- is upgrading its locomotive fleet, said CN spokesperson Kelli Svendsen.
The upgraded locomotives reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 40 percent and use 15 percent less fuel than locomotives they are replacing.
"So, some of these, of course, will pass through Prince George," said Svendsen.
Asked whether CN tried to ensure the upgraded locomotives work in Prince George -- a community known to have air quality problems -- Svendsen said, no. "We ship coast to coast. Upgrading are overall fleet, it benefits every area we run through," she said.
CN also shuts down locomotives when they are not being used for extended periods, weather permitting, and optimizing car-handling to reduce switching in yards, added Svendsen.
She also argued that moving freight by train is a green mode of transportation, noting that one freight train removes the equivalent of 280 trucks from the road.
The issue of whether industry is reducing emissions during air quality advisories was raised by a Prince George air quality advocacy group during the alert last week.
One of the People's Action Committee for Healthy Air's key concerns has been that while individuals have been asked to cut emissions, industry has not.
The city has a bylaw that prohibits the use of wood stoves, except where they are the sole source of heat, during the alerts, but there are no such rules for industry.
This week PACHA pressed the B.C. environment ministry to request plans from industry on how emissions could be reduced during air quality advisories -- a measure that has been part of an airshed management plan since 1998.
The ministry has now decided to send out a letter to companies that hold air pollutant permits requesting them to submit plans.
Those industrial players include pulp mills, sawmills, chemical plants, a wood pellet plant, an oil refinery, asphalt plants and secondary wood manufacturing plants.
CN is not on the list because it is regulated by the federal government and outside the jurisdiction of the provincial environment ministry.
