At ASLRRA request, STB delays hearing

In a decision announced Friday, the Surface Transportation Board said it will delay for 60 days a hearing—originally scheduled for Dec. 9—to review exemptions from regulation won by the railroads beginning in 1979.

The agency said it was acting in response to a request from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), which it noted “represents approximately 458 Class II and Class III railroads andapproximately 900 suppliers and contractors to the short line and regionalrailroad industry.”

ASLRRA on Nov. 4 asked for a 120-day extension to give its members more time to prepare testimony on an issue of critical importance to the railroad industry.

On Nov. 15, the National Industrial Transportation League, the American Forest & Paper Association, and the Paper & Forest Industry Transportation Committee filed a reply opposing 120-day extension, but said they would not oppose a 30-day delay.

STB settled on 60 days as more appropriate, due to holidays in November and December. The hearing is now set for Feb. 24. 

STB’s review of the regulatory exemptions took on new importance following the Nov. 2 elections. The consensus is that the newly elected Congress will be far less friendly to re-regulation measures now in the legislation mill than the current Congress, with the result that any significant changes will come from regulators, not legislators.