The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), a non-profit trade association representing short line and regional railroads and railroad supply company members, recently selected the Iowa Interstate Railroad (IAIS) to receive the 2025 Environmental Award. IAIS will be honored at ASLRRA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition from April 6 to 8 in Denver.
The award honors efforts to reduce freight rail transportation’s environmental impact. It is presented to Class II or III railroads that have implemented innovative programs to reduce environmental impact or contributed to meeting sustainability goals.
“The IAIS has long been a leader in considering their environmental impact on the communities they serve,” Chuck Baker, ASLRRA president, said. “Its Renewable Energy Center provides a triple beneficial impact for their customers and local economies. It supports a growing industry that provides alternative low emission sources of energy, adding skilled local jobs in the renewable energy sector; it provides safe and efficient access to the entire North American market for manufacturers; and it delivers all of this with low emissions in the heartland of our country.”
The IAIS completed construction on its 25-acre Renewable Energy Center in Newton, Iowa, in December. The facility offers connections to every Class I carrier in North America.