Contact: Scott Jensen, (202) 249-6511
Email: [email protected]
WASHINGTON (December 10, 2015) -
Congress approved S. 808, the "Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2015," today with unanimous support. The vote follows a
call from more than 100 trade groups
urging the House to take up the legislation, which makes many commonsense
improvements
to how the Surface Transportation Board (STB) operates. The
Senate passed the bill
earlier this year by unanimous consent and it will now go to the president for his signature.
The American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued the following statement in response:
"We applaud the House for listening to the growing concerns of
freight rail customers
and passing legislation that will modernize the nation's freight rail policies. The bill passed today will help ensure American manufacturers, energy producers and farmers have greater access to competitive and reliable freight rail service.
"We want to thank Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson in particular for their tremendous leadership for advancing a balanced and reasonable bill that will improve how the STB addresses freight rail issues. The 'STB Reauthorization Act' updates the Board for the first time since it was created 20 years ago and contains many important changes that will help foster a strong and efficient freight rail system."
"It's clear there is a widespread consensus among Congress that the status quo is not working and that our country's freight rail policies need to be updated. Now that Congress has acted, we urge the STB to move forward on proposals to increase rail-to-rail competition and improve the Board's rate review process."