Congress returned from a holiday recess last week. Prior to Thanksgiving, the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing to consider three nominees to positions at federal agencies that have oversight of the rail industry.
Richard Kloster was nominated to be a member of the Surface Transportation Board (STB), Michelle Schultz was renominated to continue serving as a member of the STB, and John DeLeeuw was nominated to be a member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Senators pressed Kloster and Schultz on the pending Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger. Both acknowledged the importance of the merger and said they would give it an objective and impartial review if nominated, and would not allow politics to influence their decision.
A video of the confirmation hearing is archived on the Senate Commerce Committee website.
On November 19, the Senate Commerce Committee favorably voted to move the DeLeeuw and Schultz nominations out of Committee. A timeline for the full Senate consideration of their nominations has not been set yet.