NACD supports surface transportation board reform

The National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) commended U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-SD), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and Ranking Member Bill Nelson (D-FL) on Thursday for introducing surface transportation legislation.

The Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2015 would reform and reauthorize the Surface Transportation Board. Through the reforms, the board would be able to efficiently support access to competitive service and act as a more useful venue to address service and rate issues between railroads and customers.

The legislation would expand the board from three to five members, create new investigatory authority, authorize a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study reviewing railroad rate bundling and contracting particularly for shippers, provide rate review timelines and develop a new arbitration process.

"Chairman Thune has worked hard over the years to ensure a level playing field for rail shippers, which includes 40 percent of all chemical distributors,” NACD President Eric Byer said. “NACD thanks him for being committed to holding the railroad industry accountable and we look forward to working with Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson to make sure the concerns of shippers are met in a way that fosters greater competition and fair pricing in the freight rail industry."