Last week following a real-life lesson in locomotive fuel conservation, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta commended Union Pacific locomotive engineers during a press conference in the Durham Western Heritage Museum for their innovative energy conservation initiative called the Fuel Masters program.

Piloted in April 2004, the program rewards the fuel-saving efforts of Union Pacific locomotive engineers with $100 fuel cards that they can use to reduce their own fuel costs.

"What is most impressive about the UP Fuel Masters program is that the company and its employees have found a way to cut fuel consumption and save money," said Mineta. "It is in their best interest to do this as much as it is in our national interest to be innovative in our energy conservation."

The Fuel Masters program compares locomotive engineers