(The following article by Aaron Sadler was circulated by the Arkansas News Bureau on June 21.)
WASHINGTON — Rep. John Boozman on Wednesday withdrew a controversial measure opposed by Amtrak and the passenger rail industry.
Instead Boozman, R-Rogers, said he would request the Government Accountability Office conduct a study on Amtrak’s priority access to freight rail within its corridors.
Boozman backed away from proposed legislation to change a 35-year-old law that gives Amtrak first rights to use tracks owned by freight rail companies.
He offered it as an amendment to a broad climate change bill in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
But he was persuaded to withdraw it and offered the GAO study as an alternative.
“There was discussion, then he withdrew it after he got everybody to sign off on requesting a GAO study on what would happen if Amtrak’s right of way were taken away,” said Boozman spokesman Ryan James said.
Amtrak and the National Association of Railroad Passengers had rallied against the Boozman amendment.
They argued that stripping the passenger rail of its right to first access on freight rail-owned tracks would ruin the company outside the Northeast.
Boozman said his intent was to prevent Amtrak trains carrying only a few passengers from using priority status to delay a fully loaded freight train.
The measure would have revoked Amtrak’s access rights unless the Secretary of Transportation certified that the company’s priority usage would not increase highway congestion, pollution or fossil fuel use.