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The railroad industry soon may contribute to the greening of Lycoming County.

The county commissioners recently approved an application to the federal Environmental Protection Agency for a nearly $1.1 million grant to be used to retrofit seven locomotives at the Lycoming Valley Railroad with cleaner burning diesel engines.

According to county transportation planner Mark Murawski, the engines will reduce the amount of carbon monoxide and particulate matter emitted by the engines.

Lycoming County is classified by the EPA as a "air quality attainment area," Murawski said. The designation means "we still have good air, according to the feds," he said.

"We're still in a good air situation, but that may not last forever," he said. For example, increased truck traffic associated with natural gas exploration could jeopardize air quality.

"Railroads can play an important role by capturing a lot of (truck) traffic and directing it to rail," he said. "Having clean burning engines on our rail system is a major selling point for that."

Murawski said the commissioners should learn whether the application is accepted by May. If it is accepted, the locomotives should be fitted with the new engines by the end of the year.

"I think it's an exciting projet and certainly one that will keep the economy running on track and our environment cleaner," he said.

According to Jerry S. Walls, chairman of the SEDA-Council of Governments Joint Rail Authority, which operates the railroad and other short lines in central Pennsylvania, rail is an energy efficient and environmentally friendly method of transportation, even without the new engines.

"Rail transportation is one of the original so-called green technologies in that one ton of freight can be moved 431 miles on one gallon of diesel fuel by a diesel locomotive," Walls said. "Trucks typically get six to eight miles per gallon."

"Coming on the heels of Earth Month, it's pretty darn neat the rail industry is able to perform its work as a cost-effective, energy-efficient, green technology," he said.