Surface Transportation Board Update
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Transcript of Surface Transportation Board Update
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Surface Transportation Board Update
Industrial Minerals Association – North America
2011 Annual MeetingTransportation Committee
Commissioner Francis P. Mulvey September 13, 2011
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STB Basics
• Independent economic regulatory agency for railroad industry
• Jurisdiction overRailroad rate and service disputesRailroad mergers and acquisitionsRail line abandonments and constructionFreight/passenger rail relationships
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Limited Jurisdiction Over Motor Carriers
• Many industrial minerals move via truck• STB has limited jurisdiction over motor
carriers– Motor carrier pooling of traffic, services or
resources reviewed by STB
– Motor carrier rate bureaus subject to STB jurisdiction; STB disapproved all bureaus in 2007, making them subject to antitrust laws
– Household goods movers subject to STB and FMCSA jurisdiction
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STB Structure
• Comprised of 3 Board members
• Ann Begeman joined STB May 2011
• Transportation backgrounds– Mulvey: House T&I staff, GAO DOT IG– Elliott: United Transportation Union – Begeman: Senate Commerce Committee
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STB STAFF
• Highly educated professional staff - lawyers, economists, financial analysts, environmental and railroad operational specialists
• Named #1 small agency - annual federal employee survey for past 2 years
• “One of the most obscure corners of the federal government . . . . train geeks and experts” Washington Post
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Industrial Minerals Rail Shipments
• Significant gross revenue contributor for Class Is (2010) – Non-metallic minerals - $1.3B
– Metallic ores - $404M
– Stone, clay, glass - $1.2B
• Above traffic is 11% of total rail tons originated in U.S. (2010)
• Crushed stone, sand, gravel carloads above 2009, but not yet at pre-recession levels
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Industrial Minerals Rail Shipments
• Many industrial minerals shipments exempt from STB regulation due to truck competition– E.g., sand, gravel, clay, concrete, stone, hydraulic cement,
salt
– Non-exempt products include lime, soda ash
• Many industrial minerals historically move below 180 R/VC, the rate regulation threshold– Metallic ores – 82% of non-intermodal movements < 180
– Non-metallic minerals – 54% of non-intermodal movements < 180
– Stone & Glass – 59% of non-intermodal movements < 180
– Vast majority of intermodal movements of industrial minerals < 180
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STB Interaction with Industrial Minerals Industry– FMC Wyoming v. UP (2000) case challenged
soda ash rates
– Proposed New England Transrail line would carry aggregates and industrial minerals
– Minerals traffic an issue in railroad mergers, e.g., UP/SP, UP/Chicago Northwestern, RailAmerica/RailTex, CN/Great Lakes Transp.
– Southwest Gulf RR obtained Board approval to build a new rail line in TX primarily to serve a limestone quarry
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General Rail Industry Trends
• Data on rail traffic volumes is mixed– Carload and intermodal volumes down .8%
and .5% respectively for week ending 8/27/11– Strong YTD volumes result in gains compared to
YTD 2010
• Traffic volume growth and weather can impact service – Dwell time has risen, train speed has fallen– Car delays and car supply issues have increased
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Congressional Agenda re STB issues (Senate)
• Dominated by budget• STB Reauthorization bill - reintroduced Jan.
2011, no movement lately• Railroad antitrust bill – voted out of Senate
Judiciary Cmte March 2011• PTC
– Senate bill would remove 10,000 miles from PTC by changing date to determine TIH movements
– FRA proposed rule would reduce TIH miles – Issues re PTC cost allocation currently before STB
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Congressional Agenda (House)
• T&I Chairman John Mica– Multi-year transportation spending bill still
pending; Mica supports one final extension– FAA bill showdown over summer; extension
expires 9/16– Review DOT high speed rail grants, RRIF loans– Freight RR capital spending, tax credits
• Railroad Subcommittee Chairman Bill Shuster– Focus on Amtrak, high-speed rail, reduced
regulation
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Major recent STB decisions
• BNSF coal dust tariff – found unreasonable (new challenge to revised tariff filed recently)
• Entergy paper barrier case – STB denied request for alternative route but found shipper had a right to svs from alternate carrier for certain mines (reconsideration request pending at Board)
• Filing fees – reduced for most types of complaints
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Hearing on Exemptions
• Hearing held in February 2011
• Railroads– Exemptions fostered growth
– Railroads face intense competition from other modes on exempt commodities
• Shippers (Auto, Forest/Paper, Cement)– Changes in industry support reexamination
– High rates in certain exempt commodities
• Board considering testimony
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Hearing on Competition in the Railroad Industry
• 2 days in June 2011
• Testimony from railroads, shippers, members of Congress, gov’t agencies, freight forwarders, Wall Street
• Wide range of issues discussed– Competitive access, “bottleneck” issues, reciprocal switching
– Alternative route prescriptions
– Financial state of rail industry
– Impact of policy changes
– Rail rate trends
– Competition for non-captive shippers
– Accessibility of Board procedures
• Board considering testimony now
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Major STB Matters Pending
• Large rate cases pending– AEPCO v. BNSF/UP (coal)– DuPont v. NS (chemicals)– Total Petrochemicals v. CSXT (chemicals)– M&G Polymers v. CSXT (chemicals)– Intermountain Power v. UP (coal)– Sunbelt Chlor Alkali v. NS/UP (chemicals)
• Tariff issues – e.g., fuel surcharges, tank car routing, weather-related weight charges
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Many pending rulemaking proceedings/requests
• Demurrage liability (warehousemen)
• PTC reporting requirements (UP)
• Reciprocal switching (NITL)
• Amtrak emergency routing
• Changes to mediation/arbitration procedures
• Procedures for confidential waybill data in small rate cases
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Recent Mediated Cases
• Several large rate cases settled recently– NRG v. CSXT, three Dupont v. CSXT
cases, two U.S. Magnesium v. UP cases, South Mississippi Electric Power v. NS
• Mediation reduces Board and party expenses
• Board seeking funding from Congress to expand mediation services
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STB RCPA Office
• Available to resolve smaller disputes informally
• Reach out to RCPA before formal complaint
• Works for large and small shippers
• Good resolution rates with Class I and many short line carriers
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Additional Announced STB Initiatives
• Update to Uniform Rail Costing System– Internal evaluation continuing
– Budget
• Increased Transparency– Decision digests
– Oral arguments/hearings
• More active monitoring of industry– Increased audits
– Increased reporting
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Future of STB
• Fate of reauthorization legislation
• Funding level for agency
• Increased rail traffic
• Opportunities for Board to address important railroad/shipper issues stemming from hearings
• Stay tuned . . .
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Thank youAny Questions?