SENATE REFORM BILL TAKES IMPORTANT STEP TOWARD FIXING NATION’S FREIGHT RAIL SYSTEM

ARLINGTON, VA (December 17, 2009) – Today, the Senate Commerce Committee approved S.2889,”The Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2009.”  ACC President and CEO, Cal Dooley issued the following statement:

“Today’s action by the Senate Commerce Committee is an important step toward creating a more competitive and viable freight rail system.  We thank Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), committee members and staff for their hard work to address longstanding problems with our nation’s freight rail policies.

“We are glad to see the bill enhances the role of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and encourages it to pro-actively protect the rights of both the shippers and railroads.  The bill also seeks to address critical bottleneck and terminal switching issues, grants the STB authority to initiate its own investigations and removes barriers for shippers to file complaints in small and mid-size rate cases.

“However, we believe the bill needs to do more to fix outdated federal policies by including the antitrust measures approved earlier this year by the Senate Judiciary Committee.  We are also troubled by provisions that require captive shippers to pay an unwarranted rate contribution for partial access to another railroad’s services, thus reducing the likelihood of truly competitive rail service.

“We will continue to seek improvements in this legislation so that our members, other shippers and the nation can enjoy the benefits of a healthy and competitive rail system.”