Railroads want Congress to back off antitrust bill
NITL (The National Industrial Transportation League) -- Logistics Management, 5/26/2009
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) recently told a House Judiciary subcommittee the Railroad
Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2009 would damage shippers and consumers and distort the relationship between regulation and antitrust laws.
"Congress should take a step back and consider the harmful impacts this measure would have on not only railroads, but also our customers and American consumers," said AAR President Edward Hamberger. He said the legislation would drag railroads ¯back to pre-deregulation days of weak investment and withering rail networks."
A Union Pacific representative urged Judiciary subcommittee lawmakers not to consider the antitrust bill in isolation. ¯If Congress wants to address rail transportation policies, it should work with colleagues in other committees of jurisdiction to craft a coherent, national rail policy that integrates regulation with antitrust jurisprudence, he said.
Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA) told the Judiciary subcommittee the antitrust legislation ¯would only treat railroads like every other industry in the U.S. He noted that at her Senate confirmation hearing, Christine
Varney, now the Justice Department‘s chief antitrust enforcer, recognized the need for rail competition when she stated that she supports the legislation.
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