CSXT’s Spatafore named rail industry’s top environmentalist

CSX Transportation's Richard Spatafore, division engineer, Jacksonville, Fla., received the 2010 Association of American Railroads' John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence Award. CSXT nominated Spatafore for the award, named for the late Rhode Island senator who devoted his long career in public service to protecting the environment and who understood the important environmental advantages of rail. "Richard Spatafore personifies CSXT's long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship," said Skip Elliott, vice president public safety and environment for CSXT. "His innovative resource re-use program is a model of how every CSXT employee can make a difference in protecting our environment while enhancing CSX's efficiency." Spatafore, a 36-year veteran of CSXT, developed the "No Spike Left Behind" program, a successful, first-of-its-kind environmental business model for CSXT. The program involves evaluating all rail yards and CSXT right-of-way to identify accumulated on-track material, equipment and other railroad-related materials. Materials are then tagged as appropriate for re-use or recycling. Additionally, Spatafore oversaw the design and construction of new environmentally safe storage centers within designated rail yards to serve as centralized material storage and usage hubs. Under his leadership, Spatafore's team achieved 100 percent compliance with federal, state and local environmental regulations.