-- For Immediate Release -

Coalition for Sustainable Rail 'Project 130'
Nominated for 2012 Katerva Award

Innovative Steam Locomotive Project Competes for "Nobel Prize" of Sustainability

MINNEAPOLIS - The Coalition for Sustainable Rail (CSR) announced today that its Project 130, which will create the world's first carbon-neutral higher-speed steam locomotive, has been nominated for the 2012 Katerva Award. The Katerva Award, the "Nobel Prize" of sustainability, rewards ideas or projects that promote "radical innovation and an acceleration of much needed change."

In an interview with Trains magazine, CSR president Davidson Ward described Project 130 as a means to "develop a steam locomotive using today's technology that can produce a more powerful locomotive that will cost less to operate than diesels in passenger applications, such as commuter service." The steam locomotive will run on torrefied biomass, a carbon-neutral biofuel developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota's Natural Resources Research Institute. Project 130 will have implications beyond the passenger locomotive sector, says Rod Larkins, special projects director of the University of Minnesota's Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment. Larkins anticipates this technology eventually will be used for "combined heat and power energy in the developing world as well as reducing the United States' dependence on fossil fuels."

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Sustainable Rail International:

Sustainable Rail International (SRI), an IRS approved 501(c)(3) and Minnesota nonprofit corporation, is a scientific and educational organization whose mission is to advance biofuel research and production; to research and develop sustainable railroad locomotives; to promulgate associated sustainable technologies; and to support and conduct nonpartisan educational and informational activities to increase awareness of sustainable railroad locomotives. Founded by Rob Mangels, Shaun McMahon, John Rhodes and Davidson Ward, SRI maintains internationally renowned steam locomotive mechanical engineers and U.S. industry professionals among its diverse members.

Institute on the Environment:

The University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment discovers solutions to Earth's most pressing environmental problems by conducting transformative research, developing the next generation of global leaders and building world-changing partnerships. Learn more online at www.environment.umn.edu.

The Katerva Awards

The Katerva Awards are an "annual set of awards presented by Katerva for the best sustainability efforts in the world." Katerva calls on a network of CEOs, researchers, academics, thought leaders and other experts to help select award winners, "organizations with the potential to make the greatest strides towards a sustainable planet." For more information visit www.katerva.org.