U.S. House ruling prevents ‘job-killing’ electric locomotive rule in Barstow and California

A recent amendment approval by the U.S. House of Representatives that prohibits a “job-killing” electric locomotive rule was announced by Congressman Jay Obernolte.

The amendment, approved on Wednesday, removes the potential halting of the much-anticipated BNSF’s Barstow International Gateway project , expected to provide up to 20,000 direct and indirect jobs.

“Freight rail is crucial to the nation's economy, environment, and infrastructure," Obernolte stated in a press release. "It efficiently transports goods over long distances, reduces highway congestion, and greatly lowers greenhouse gas emissions compared to truck transportation.”

The $1.5 billion Barstow International Gateway will be an approximately 4,500-acre new integrated rail facility on the west side of Barstow, consisting of a rail yard, intermodal facility and warehouses.

The facility will allow the direct transfer of containers from ships at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to trains for transport through the Alameda Corridor onto the BNSF mainline up to Barstow.

If the California Air Resources Board rule went into full effect, the BNSF project would be canceled completely, which goes against both CARB and the EPA’s goals, as the gateway project would significantly reduce port and highway congestion, Obernolte previously said.

“While I share the broader goal of reducing emissions, CARB’s misguided rule would not accomplish it," he stated. "Instead, it would have a disastrous impact on interstate commerce, increasing the cost of rail transport, reducing jobs, and raising prices for Californians."

Amendment No. 75 passed the U.S. House of Representatives by voice vote and prohibits any Environmental Protection Agency funds from being used to grant the waiver required for the California Air Resources Board locomotive rule.

The amendment was included in the fiscal year 2025 Appropriations bill for the Departments of the Interior and the Environment.

The locomotive regulation mandates the use of zero-emission locomotives in California even though the zero-emission locomotives required to comply with the rule do not exist, according to Obernolte.

The amendment builds off previous actions by Obernolte in opposition to the California Air Resources Board’s rule, including:

• A hearing on the feasibility of the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) rule requiring zero-emission locomotives.
• In May, Obernolte led 73 of his colleagues in a letter in opposition to the EPA granting a waiver to the California Air Resources Board for its zero-emission locomotive rule.
• Obernolte also delivered nearly 2,000 letters from agencies, organizations, and his constituents in California’s 23rd Congressional District to EPA Administrator Michael Regan expressing their concerns that the waiver would have on the economy and national supply chains, and he encouraged the administrator to deny the California waiver.

House Republicans on Wednesday also passed what is expected to be the final government funding bill before the August recess, proposing steep cuts for the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget for fiscal year 2025, The Hill reported.

The annual Department of Interior and Environmental Protection Agency funding bill passed210-205 late Wednesday. The measure includes proposed cuts to the EPA and other areas like the National Park Service, the Smithsonian, and the National Gallery of Art.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: U.S. House ruling prevents ‘job-killing’ electric locomotive rule in Barstow and California