Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the senior Northeastern member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, hailed the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s purchase of Greenville Yards in Jersey City for the development of a modern intermodal facility for the movement of containerized solid waste and other commodities by rail and barge. This important acquisition, funded through an appropriation secured by Rep. Nadler, will further the Port Authority’s efforts to take trucks off of the roads and transition to more sustainable modes of freight movement. “The acquisition and redevelopment of Greenville Yards is a major milestone in our collective city, state and federal efforts to move away from truck freight and toward more sustainable and efficient means of transporting goods,” said Nadler. “This advancement of rail freight is good news for the environment, for the reduction of truck traffic, and for economic development throughout New Jersey and New York.  I am pleased that I was able to provide federal funding to make this acquisition possible, and I want to thank Governors Chris Christie and David Paterson, Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward, and Port Authority Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni for their crucial work on this issue.  I look forward to working with the Port Authority and both states as we address our region’s overdependence on polluting trucks.” The Port Authority is currently undertaking an Environmental Impact Statement on the Cross Harbor Freight Movement Project to rationalize the movement of goods in our region.  New York receives more than $1 trillion worth of freight per year – everything from food to furniture – mostly by trucks coming over the roads and bridges of Northern New Jersey and the five boroughs. Trucks transport more than 80 percent of our region’s freight, while rail handles less than 2 percent.