Supporting
Organizations

Alliant Energy

American Chemistry

Basin Electric Power Cooperative

Bemidji Area
Forestry Affairs Council

Blandin Paper Company

Cooperative Network

Dairyland Power Cooperative

East River
Electric Power Cooperative

Freeborn-Mower
Cooperative Services

Grand Rapids
Area Chamber of Commerce

Great River Energy

Hibbing Area
Chamber of Commerce

Lyon-Lincoln Electric Co-op

McNeilus Steel

Midwest Shippers’ Association

Minnesota Crop
Production Retailers

Minnesota Farmers Union

Minnesota Grain
and Feed Association

Minnesota Forest Industries

Minnesota Power

Minnesota
Rural Electric Association

Minnesota Soybean
Growers Association

Minnesota Valley REC

Minnesota Municipal
Utilities Association

Ottertail Power Company

People’s Cooperative Services

Renville-Sibley Co-op

Tri-County Electric Cooperative

Xcel Energy

BACKGROUND

• S.158 is a bipartisan compromise originally developed in the 111th Congress (S. 2889) over ten months of negotiations between and among the Democratic and Republican leadership of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee: Chairman John D. Rockefeller, IV (D-WV), Ranking Minority Member Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Surface Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Ranking Minority Member of the Subcommittee, John Thune (R-SD). S. 2889 was reintroduced in the 112th Congress by Chairman Rockefeller and Ranking Member Hutchison and was given a new bill number: S.158.

• The freight railroad industry, rail customers and the Surface Transportation Board were involved fully in the ten months of negotiations that led to this legislation.

• In the 111th the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee ordered the Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill (S. 2889) reported by unanimous consent and without objection.  The freight rail industry did not object to the legislation when it was reported, although an industry press release stated disappointment that certain provisions were not included in the bill.

ELEMENTS OF S.158

• S.158 expands the membership of the Board from three to five; provides additional resources to the Board; clarifies the powers of the Board to protect “captive” rail customers from the abuse of railroad market power; and overturns some regulatory rulings that prevent rail customers from gaining access to competing railroads.

• S.158 addresses the problems of “captive” rail customers by directing and empowering the Board to be more responsive to the concerns of captive rail customers and will allow more rail customers to escape “captivity” by gaining access to competing railroads.

• S.158 does NOT re-regulate the railroads and does NOT alter the basic judgments of Congress contained in the Staggers Rail Act of 1980.

Rail customers strongly support the enactment of S.158 in 2011

For more information, contact Amy Fredregill
at (651) 228-0213 or .


FACT SHEET

Affiliated with Consumers United for Rail Equity (C.U.R.E.), a national coalition advancing the rights of rail customers in America.