Rail Electrification Council, Part 2: RAIL GROUP ON AIR
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
In this conclusion of a two-part series, Jim Hoecker and Steve Griffith of the Rail Electrification Council talk about the transition away from fossil fuels, as well the national electrical grid’s need to expand to handle rapidly increasing demand. What are the opportunities for using railroad rights-of-way to support high-voltage transmission lines? How could this be a viable source of revenue for railroads? How do ESG goals figure here? Hoecker and Griffith discuss these and other topics with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono.
Veteran energy advocate, public policymaker, author and speaker and organizational innovator Jim Hoecker’s 40-year career has been dedicated to helping industry and policymakers achieve commercial success consistent with timely and responsible business innovation. Currently Senior Counsel and Energy Strategist at Husch Blackwell LLP and Principal of Hoecker Energy Law & Policy PLLC, Jim was Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner and Chairman from 1993 to 2001, FERC Assistant General Counsel, Gas and Oil Litigation, and former Lead Director of an eastern public utility. He is Co-Founder with NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) and Counsel of the Rail Electrification Council, a collaborative manufacturers, rail-related companies and electric power producers on railroading’s contribution to a clean energy, economic strength, grid integration and the emerging transportation-electricity ecosystem. Jim is also Founder and President of IPRO (International Pipeline Resilience Organization), which advocates for a collaborative approach to oil and natural gas pipeline cybersecurity; Founder and Executive Director of WIRES LLC (2005-2019), promoting electric transmission investment and clean energy, and a director of nonprofit North American Freight Forum, part of OnTrack North America.
Steve Griffith is Executive Director of NEMA’s Transportation Systems Division. He manages sections within this division in such areas as Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, Rail Electrification, Automotive Components, and Imaging & Communications. He is also the principle staff liaison for NEMA’s Cybersecurity and co-lead for NEMA’s Energy Transition Campaign, leading and defining common approaches to standardization, guidelines and architecture development while enabling connectivity, defining and simplifying interoperability, and safeguarding privacy and cybersecurity in electrotechnical and medical imaging products. Steve has more than 25 years’ experience in program/project management, including a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification. Before joining NEMA, he managed projects for various Department of Defense facilities and the Transportation Security Administration.
