May 11, 2016 - In honor of National Train Day, which celebrates the driving of the Golden Spike in Promontory, Utah and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869, locomotion lovers at the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity took the opportunity this week to highlight the critical role trains have played in developing our national economy.

“Ever since the advent of the railroads, the United States economy has been the gold standard for growth, thanks to the ability of our nation’s manufacturers and producers to transport our wealth of resources,” said Laura Sheehan, senior vice president of communications for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.  “Even today, our web of railroad tracks crisscross the country providing access to everything from affordable power to manufacturing supplies to other life necessities we rely on every day.”

No single commodity is more important to America’s railroads than coal, which accounted for 38.8 percent of rail tonnage and 18.8 percent of rail revenue in 2014. However, tonnage and revenue have fallen precipitously over the last several months thanks to a market reaction to the administration’s energy and environmental agenda.

“The next president has a tremendous opportunity to reverse course by recognizing that federalist, regulatory overreach hurts more than those in coal communities,” said Sheehan.  “Railroad workers, railroad companies and all who do business with them are facing the realities of politicized energy policies that threaten not only the availability of affordable and reliable energy but also people’s livelihoods across the nation.”

Recent analysis from NERA Economic Consulting reveals significant negative economic impacts resulting from EPA’s carbon emissions regulations, as the costs to comply with the plan will total nearly $300 billion from 2022 to 2033. Further, the plan will lead to double-digit electricity price increases in 41 states, with 28 states potentially facing peak year electricity price increases of at least 20 percent.

The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity is a partnership of the industries involved in producing electricity from coal.  Coal, an abundant and affordable American energy resource, provides nearly 35 percent of our power.  By 2019, the coal-based power industry is expected to have invested more than $126 billion to reduce emissions and to use this critical resource more cleanly and efficiently than ever before.