06/19/2017

Industry Group Signs Letters Supporting Nominations to Surface Transportation Board

The agency is seeking new members to oversee its operations

The Ohio AgriBusiness Association (OABA), along with more than 25 state and national organizations, signed two letters supporting the nominations of Patrick Fuchs/Ann Begeman and Kendell Keith for the U.S. Surface Transportation Board.

These letters were sent to the White House, Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R - KY), Chairman John Thune (R - SD) and Subcommittee Chairman Deb Fischer (R - NE).

The Surface Transportation Board is an independent adjudicatory and economic-regulatory agency charged by Congress with resolving railroad rate and service disputes and reviewing proposed railroad mergers.

The agency has jurisdiction over railroad rate and service issues and rail restructuring transactions (mergers, line sales, line construction, and line abandonments); certain trucking company, moving van and non-contiguous ocean shipping company rate matters; certain intercity passenger bus company structure, financial, and operational matters; and rates and services of certain pipelines not regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The agency has authority to investigate rail service matters of regional and national significance.

Created on January 1, 1996 by the ICC Termination Act of 1995, the Board is the successor to the former Interstate Commerce Commission (1887-1995) and was administratively aligned with the U.S. Department of Transportation from 1996 to mid-December 2015. The STB Reauthorization Act of 2015 established the STB as a wholly independent federal agency on Dec. 18, 2015.