STB seeks candidates for railroad-shipper council, energy committee vacancies

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) is seeking nominees to fill two vacancies for small railroad representatives on the Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council (RSTAC).

The board is soliciting suggestions from the public for candidates to fill the two vacancies. Nominations are due Dec. 3.

The 19-member council serves as a forum for the discussion of regulatory, policy and legislative issues pertaining to rail shippers and railroads. Members serve three-year terms.

The STB chairman appoints 15 RSTAC members and the remaining four members are the U.S. transportation secretary and three STB commissioners, who serve as ex officio, nonvoting members. Among the voting members, at least four must be representatives of small shippers, and another four must be representatives of regionals or short lines. The remaining members include three Class I and three large shipper representatives.

The STB also is seeking to fill two vacancies on its Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee (RETAC). The board is soliciting suggestions from the public until Dec. 3 for a representative from the downstream segment of the domestic petroleum industry and the electric utility industry.

In 2007, the STB established RETAC as a federal advisory committee sporting a balanced cross-section of energy and rail industry stakeholders. The committee aims to provide independent, candid policy advice to the STB and foster open, effective communication among energy transportation stakeholders on such issues as rail performance, capacity constraints, infrastructure planning and development, and more effective coordination among suppliers, railroads and energy users.

RETAC members include five Class I representatives; three representatives from regionals or short lines; three representatives from coal producers; five representatives from electric utilities; four representatives from biofuel refiners, processors, distributors, or feedstock growers or providers; one representative from the petroleum shipping industry; and two representatives from among rail-car owners, lessors or manufacturers.