(Statement of On-topicness: I am posting this on
the Mpls list as this is where I have seen the
most discussion of MN rail issues.)
I received this today. "GoRail" is a rail
industry lobbying group
<http://nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en/news/norfolk-southernunveilsnewlocomotiveincelebrationofgorailstentha.html>
by the Norfolk Southern as:
"...a non-profit grassroots organization
dedicated to educating the public about the
benefits of moving more freight by rail. Founded
in 2004, GoRail mobilizes support for policies
that would lead to more freight moving by rail
and opposition to policies that would limit the
freight railroads ability to meet growing freight demand."
GoRail is promoting a bill, H.R.749, that "...
streamlines the permit review process for rail projects, ..."
H.R. 749 is an 80 page (+/-) bill entitled
"Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of
2015." It contains some interesting provisions
regarding Amtrak, such as this one (Sec 205, "Competition"):
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act
of 2015, the Federal Railroad Administration
shall complete a rulemaking proceeding to develop a pilot program that
(1)permits a rail carrier or rail carriers that
own infrastructure over which Amtrak operates a
passenger rail service route described in
subparagraph (B), (C), or (D) of section 24102(7)
or in section 24702(a) to petition the Federal
Railroad Administration to be considered as a
passenger rail service provider over that route
in lieu of Amtrak for an operations period of 5 years;
(2)requires the Federal Railroad Administration
to notify Amtrak within 30 days after receiving a
petition under paragraph (1) and establish a
deadline by which both the petitioner and Amtrak
would be required to submit a bid to provide
passenger rail service over the route to which the petition relates;
The "streamlining" provisions seem to all be in
Title IV, Sections 401 and 402., and are about
making approvals and permits quicker and easier to get.
Comment: During decades of contraction and
over-capacity, railroads were able to plead
poverty and get themselves largely
deregulated. Now, they are expanding again and
evidence clearly shows that the deregulation went
too far and needs to be reversed to some degree
to give state and local governments more say over
what railroads do and don't do. Let's ask
Congress NOT to support H.R. 749. Should Amtrak be held hostage in this way?
am
[]
<http://clicktracking.gractions.com/?qs=bG5UKwSavejXOKlgSp8MYSN4VfcTbG1CmihKuCuHYYP2nDYW2e1bW0%2f3MNQJRptD8J%2fnGOil7HmqLWh%2fBina7HzxLk9tznLIdBo0bCJdMWu0mBQkldzzPXjsMDaUrYObJUHloVSqCxlL2Y%2bkhHLYhg%3d%3d>
Our Website |
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Us
<http://clicktracking.gractions.com/?qs=bG5UKwSaveiwwYKGr4Z9bXVZLHjvPTGWMA9KQQtiSkcsin%2fBhPno6yhlfed%2bsqHb8J%2fnGOil7HmqLWh%2fBina7HzxLk9tznLIdBo0bCJdMWu0mBQkldzzPd1Njzd8NM2QqkzSzXSQ%2ff%2bOrn9yfrrn3yWHMWCAfqaC>
[]
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[]
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[]
As soon as tomorrow, the U.S. House of
Representatives will vote on H.R. 749, the
Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015.
Please contact your representative in Congress to
ask that they support this bill.
This bipartisan bill authorizes approximately
$1.7 billion annually to fund Amtrak and includes
reforms to improve transparency and accountability.
As you know, about 70 percent of the nations
passenger rail operates on track that is owned
and maintained by private freight railroads.
Freight railroads continue to spend record
amounts including an anticipated $29 billion in
2015 to build, maintain and grow their network.
Continued investments by freight railroads
provide the foundation for passenger service in
the United States by building the capacity that
allows for freight and passenger trains to share
track. H.R. 749 provides the funding and reforms
necessary to create a more efficient and viable Amtrak.
H.R. 749 creates development opportunities for
the private sector, reduces the restrictions on a
federal railroad loan program that has been
underutilized, streamlines the permit review
process for rail projects, and authorizes grants
to upgrade railroad infrastructure to improve passenger rail performance.
This legislation was passed unanimously by the
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
and has the support of both Amtrak and the nation's freight railroads.
Please ask your U.S. Representative to vote
"yes" on H.R. 749. To look up contact information
for your Representative, click here:
<http://clicktracking.gractions.com/?qs=bG5UKwSavejIevDHg0A4uz7JJxjw0iy34CVDIwESWgnY04VKyYcLBsfi8PjUjaw08J%2fnGOil7HmqLWh%2fBina7HzxLk9tznLIdBo0bCJdMWu0mBQkldzzPd1Njzd8NM2QosuGClD%2bC1MIaLO%2bg2H3r9AIqjjhDlAEJa3UYqmIZfyEyqXWY1nT8w%3d%3d>
or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Alan Muller
Energy & Environmental Consulting
Red Wing, MN
Port Penn, DE
302.299.6783
<email obscured>
the Mpls list as this is where I have seen the
most discussion of MN rail issues.)
I received this today. "GoRail" is a rail
industry lobbying group
<http://nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en/news/norfolk-southernunveilsnewlocomotiveincelebrationofgorailstentha.html>
by the Norfolk Southern as:
"...a non-profit grassroots organization
dedicated to educating the public about the
benefits of moving more freight by rail. Founded
in 2004, GoRail mobilizes support for policies
that would lead to more freight moving by rail
and opposition to policies that would limit the
freight railroads ability to meet growing freight demand."
GoRail is promoting a bill, H.R.749, that "...
streamlines the permit review process for rail projects, ..."
H.R. 749 is an 80 page (+/-) bill entitled
"Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of
2015." It contains some interesting provisions
regarding Amtrak, such as this one (Sec 205, "Competition"):
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act
of 2015, the Federal Railroad Administration
shall complete a rulemaking proceeding to develop a pilot program that
(1)permits a rail carrier or rail carriers that
own infrastructure over which Amtrak operates a
passenger rail service route described in
subparagraph (B), (C), or (D) of section 24102(7)
or in section 24702(a) to petition the Federal
Railroad Administration to be considered as a
passenger rail service provider over that route
in lieu of Amtrak for an operations period of 5 years;
(2)requires the Federal Railroad Administration
to notify Amtrak within 30 days after receiving a
petition under paragraph (1) and establish a
deadline by which both the petitioner and Amtrak
would be required to submit a bid to provide
passenger rail service over the route to which the petition relates;
The "streamlining" provisions seem to all be in
Title IV, Sections 401 and 402., and are about
making approvals and permits quicker and easier to get.
Comment: During decades of contraction and
over-capacity, railroads were able to plead
poverty and get themselves largely
deregulated. Now, they are expanding again and
evidence clearly shows that the deregulation went
too far and needs to be reversed to some degree
to give state and local governments more say over
what railroads do and don't do. Let's ask
Congress NOT to support H.R. 749. Should Amtrak be held hostage in this way?
am
[]
<http://clicktracking.gractions.com/?qs=bG5UKwSavejXOKlgSp8MYSN4VfcTbG1CmihKuCuHYYP2nDYW2e1bW0%2f3MNQJRptD8J%2fnGOil7HmqLWh%2fBina7HzxLk9tznLIdBo0bCJdMWu0mBQkldzzPXjsMDaUrYObJUHloVSqCxlL2Y%2bkhHLYhg%3d%3d>
Our Website |
<http://clicktracking.gractions.com/?qs=bG5UKwSavejZvBM3Frqg%2bWxZ1Ogylh0KgnUHTi7xQG6fOsNJIGRzhOACzS1xbc8u8J%2fnGOil7HmqLWh%2fBina7HzxLk9tznLIdBo0bCJdMWu0mBQkldzzPXjsMDaUrYObJUHloVSqCxmjOeDvMG0KjyyYXF%2bYHbko>
Us
<http://clicktracking.gractions.com/?qs=bG5UKwSaveiwwYKGr4Z9bXVZLHjvPTGWMA9KQQtiSkcsin%2fBhPno6yhlfed%2bsqHb8J%2fnGOil7HmqLWh%2fBina7HzxLk9tznLIdBo0bCJdMWu0mBQkldzzPd1Njzd8NM2QqkzSzXSQ%2ff%2bOrn9yfrrn3yWHMWCAfqaC>
[]
<http://clicktracking.gractions.com/?qs=bG5UKwSavei0xi3%2fZb4iK%2fAi609P2RUiF148Dy%2fjRdJ7jaNkKT3p3NdjzgbZ9P9j8J%2fnGOil7HmqLWh%2fBina7HzxLk9tznLIdBo0bCJdMWu0mBQkldzzPaYuVyFSveUxZy4AcmlOGgLFjWGPJG2nKuF1K%2f26cmCJ>
[]
<http://clicktracking.gractions.com/?qs=bG5UKwSavehWA4lXUS%2fII81Lx7iveMceNFF6JaqiOwVVjbHXi1WGtJ61J%2fEFMpvY8J%2fnGOil7HmqLWh%2fBina7HzxLk9tznLIdBo0bCJdMWt6PU3zujjEcYV2mc%2bh08K5HovYyDWCJWGr8GGkruYjzh9KVt0MYVp5z107kDTSIgrhdSv9unJgiQ%3d%3d>
[]
As soon as tomorrow, the U.S. House of
Representatives will vote on H.R. 749, the
Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015.
Please contact your representative in Congress to
ask that they support this bill.
This bipartisan bill authorizes approximately
$1.7 billion annually to fund Amtrak and includes
reforms to improve transparency and accountability.
As you know, about 70 percent of the nations
passenger rail operates on track that is owned
and maintained by private freight railroads.
Freight railroads continue to spend record
amounts including an anticipated $29 billion in
2015 to build, maintain and grow their network.
Continued investments by freight railroads
provide the foundation for passenger service in
the United States by building the capacity that
allows for freight and passenger trains to share
track. H.R. 749 provides the funding and reforms
necessary to create a more efficient and viable Amtrak.
H.R. 749 creates development opportunities for
the private sector, reduces the restrictions on a
federal railroad loan program that has been
underutilized, streamlines the permit review
process for rail projects, and authorizes grants
to upgrade railroad infrastructure to improve passenger rail performance.
This legislation was passed unanimously by the
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
and has the support of both Amtrak and the nation's freight railroads.
Please ask your U.S. Representative to vote
"yes" on H.R. 749. To look up contact information
for your Representative, click here:
<http://clicktracking.gractions.com/?qs=bG5UKwSavejIevDHg0A4uz7JJxjw0iy34CVDIwESWgnY04VKyYcLBsfi8PjUjaw08J%2fnGOil7HmqLWh%2fBina7HzxLk9tznLIdBo0bCJdMWu0mBQkldzzPd1Njzd8NM2QosuGClD%2bC1MIaLO%2bg2H3r9AIqjjhDlAEJa3UYqmIZfyEyqXWY1nT8w%3d%3d>
or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Alan Muller
Energy & Environmental Consulting
Red Wing, MN
Port Penn, DE
302.299.6783
<email obscured>
