Norfolk Southern's Russ McDaniel Awarded 2016 Professional Environmental Excellence Award

Washington, D.C., November 3, 2016 /3BL Media/ -- The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has awarded the 2016 Professional Environmental Excellence Award, which is the highest honor for environmental professionals in the railroad industry, to Russ McDaniel of Norfolk Southern.  

The annual award, which recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding performance in environmental awareness and responsibility during the year, was presented during the Railroad Environmental Conference at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

"Railroads and environmental preservation go hand-in-hand and we proudly honor those who exhibit a commitment to environmental stewardship," said 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."

Since joining the rail industry more than 20 years ago, McDaniel has made significant contributions to environmental awareness at Norfolk Southern and throughout the entire railroad industry.

McDaniel 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. He oversees areas including 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. Working with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the team has restored 79 acres of the site for industrial use. In addition to his work with Norfolk Southern, he has 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.

McDaniel was one of eight railroad industry professionals nominated for the 2016 Professional Environmental Excellence Award. 

To read about the nominees from other railroads click here to see the entire AAR news release.

For more information contact:
AAR Media Relations at media@aar.org or 202-639-2345.

About AAR: The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the world's leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on the safety and productivity of rail carriers. AAR members include the major freight railroads of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, as well as Amtrak. Learn more at www.aar.org.

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