This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
6/22/2021
The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s (T&I) surface transportation bill “misses the mark” on several rail policy issues, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
In an op-ed published by Eno Transportation Weekly, AAR President and Chief Executive Officer Ian Jefferies wrote that the House legislation known as the INVEST in America Act of 2021 and passed earlier this month would implement many of the "anticompetitive" policies contained in a similar bill passed by the committee last year. That bill failed to become law.
For example, according to Jeffries, this year's bill attempts to "usurp ongoing collective bargaining negotiations" by mandating a minimum of two-person crews operate freight trains.
"Put simply, there is no safety justification for such a policy, as outlined by federal regulators across multiple administrations, and such a prescription would clearly limit freight transportation competition," Jefferies wrote.
In addition, the House bill would "slow the movement of goods and exacerbate congestion for communities at North American borders by prohibiting Mexican crews from delivering trains into U.S. rail yards," he wrote.
Meanwhile, the Senate passed its own bill through two committees in a bipartisan manner, "largely devoid of unneeded, prescriptive business mandates," Jefferies wrote.To read the full op-ed, click here.