(The following appeared on the Progressive Railroading website on August 3, 2009.)
Last week, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy approved the Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2009 (H.R. 233/S. 146), according to Consumers United for Rail Equity (CURE). The legislation proposes to repeal railroads’ antitrust exemptions.
Now, the bill awaits consideration by the full Judiciary Committee after Congress returns from its August recess. Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Herbert Kohl (D-Wis.) currently are working together to include the repeal of railroad antitrust exemptions in a forthcoming rail reform bill being crafted by the committee, CURE officials said in a prepared statement. The bill is expected to include Surface Transportation Board reforms.
H.R. 233/S. 146 recently has garnered support from U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Christine Varney, 20 state attorneys general, the American Bar Association, National Industrial Transportation League and the Consumer Federation of America, according to CURE. Railroads oppose the legislation.