The Association of American Railroads (AAR) awarded Norfolk Southern Railway’s (NS) Adam Motsinger with the 2023 Environmental Excellence Award, the industry’s highest honor for environmental professionals.
Adam Motsinger has supported NS environmental operations since 2017 and currently serves as Manager Environmental Operations. Motsinger is immediately responsible for overseeing and managing his assigned territory, ensuring local supervision understand and comply with the applicable environmental laws, regulations, permits, plans and best environmental management practices, and correcting deficient areas. Specifically, he oversees 6 wastewater treatment plants, provides 24x7 emergency response and management for facilities within his territory and supports the HAZMAT team in the event of a derailment.
By identifying deficiencies and proposing solutions, Motsinger has helped NS create opportunities to extend its sustainability track record and minimize potential impacts to the environment. Among other things, Motsinger helped lead the NS Operation Clean Sweep program that helps capture microplastics at transfer terminals and divert them from landfills. Those captured pellets are then properly recycled or resold creating a win-win for the company and the environment.
Motsinger has championed nutrient bank development opportunities at Lamberts Point Living Shoreline, which restored the river while also providing critical flooding protection to the railroad. This innovative solution stands to support NS’s long-term operational resiliency by stabilizing the marine perimeter at a critical terminal. Motsinger has also worked closely with the Chesapeake Bay Oyster Foundation Oyster Gardening initiative, which has placed 30,000 live oysters on a reef adjacent to NS property. Larger oyster restoration efforts stand to dramatically enhance the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay, and this project specifically has the capacity to yield more than 1 million gallons of water filtration each day once the oysters mature.
In addition to Motsinger, five other railroad environmental professionals were nominated for the 2023 Environmental Excellence Award. The other nominees are as follows:
Aaron Stadnyk – Canadian National
As Director, Environment Field Operations and Emergency Response, Aaron Stadnyk has taken a solutions-based approach to environmental management for the railway, which has limited potential impacts and protected environmentally sensitive areas across the network. As a key member of CN’s Incident Management Working Group, Stadnyk has focused not just on the environmental response but also on providing communities and government agencies with real-time information following an incident to establish trust with the railroad. Stadnyk has also been central to CN’s work to reduce environmental impacts such as Direct to Locomotive fueling and helped launch CN’s Operation Clean Sweep program as a part of an industry-led initiative to eliminate plastic resin loss in operation. In his personal life, stewardship plays a central role as he works to naturalize a portion of his own property to reintroduce native species and promote local biodiversity.
Chad Prior – BNSF Railway
Chad Prior has been a key advocate for sustainable engineering solutions at BNSF and has led their critical pollution control processes in his role as Director, Environmental Engineering and Wastewater Operations. Prior has worked to create collaboration across the railroad’s operations teams and employees to drive sustainable solutions that create a lasting impact. Harnessing technology, Prior has led critical programs to enhance visibility and resilience of wastewater treatment systems across the BNSF network. Prior was also a key player in modernizing how the railroad’s tank car inspection process, which now deploys remotely operated robots inside cars to detect defects while also enhancing safety for railcar inspectors.
Kiley Gibson – CPKC
Following the 2013 tragic Lac Megantic derailment, Canadian authorities committed to moving rail operations outside the heart of the city. After then Canadian Pacific purchased the local short line, CPKC has been managing that project with Kiley Gibson helping lead the initiative. Informed by robust community engagement and expert analysis, Gibson has worked to address local concerns and implement effective strategies to protect groundwater, wetlands and wildlife near the project site. Gibson has also led the development of the construction management plans and monitoring program, which will be implemented over the coming years.
Daniel Dyer – CSX Transportation
Daniel Dyer serves as Senior Manager, Environmental Remediation for CSX where he brings together stakeholders to successfully resolve complex, legacy remediation projects and further CSX’s commitment to environmental responsibility. Notable among these was his tireless work to close a more than century-old creosote tie-treating site in Indiana, which ended operations in 1976. Dan has also led the final remediation steps on two other projects that have been active for more than 30 years. Dyer manages all permitting and abatement projects across the railroad’s Northwest Territory where he works to create business solutions that also protect the environment and employees.
Chip Heard – Union Pacific Railroad
As Senior Manager, Hazardous Materials Management, Chip Heard helps advance Union Pacific’s hazmat response, spill prevention and recovery efforts. Before joining the railroad, Chip was a firefighter/paramedic for 28 years and now serves as the company’s first responder for a 4-state territory. As a first responder himself, Heard holds dozens of regional training exercises annually to ensure local responders can safely manage a rail emergency and mitigate environmental impacts as best as possible. Heard also leads the hazardous material transfer program and successfully managed multiple incidents with high-risk commodities for the railroad. Whether it is jumping into action to support a nearby Arkansas town following a tornado or raising two sons who also answered the call to become first responders, Heard’s dedication to protecting and serving goes far beyond his work duties.
