Hamberger shares the industry’s 2016 goals, sums up 2015 achievements

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

Association of American Railroads (AAR) President and Chief Executive Officer Edward Hamberger says that the industry will be targeting several key issues in 2016, such as maintaining balanced economic regulation at the Surface Transportation Board (STB), extending the shortline tax credit while laying the groundwork for overall tax reform and advancing security-safety legislation or regulation.

 

With freight rail companies facing a deadline later this month to provide the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) with plans to implement Positive Train Control (PTC) deadline technology, the AAR reaffirmed the industry’s stance that the technology will be fully installed where required by 2018 and all testing for full coast-to-coast operations completed by 2020.

The remarks by Hamberger were made at the 246th regular meeting of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers as part of a panel titled, “Just what we need, more ‘help’ from Washington.”

“The past year brought much excitement and success for the freight rail industry, both from a service perspective and in terms of regulatory and legislative activity,” said Hamberger, before speaking on a panel with Dave Manning, vice chair of the American Truckers Association. “We take very seriously our mission to deliver our customers’ goods efficiently, reliably and safely and look forward to our continued partnerships.”

Hamberger also addressed several successes from the past year for those in attendance, including stopping efforts to increase truck weights, pushing for safer tank cars moving flammable liquids, such as crude oil and achieving common sense reform in environmental permitting.

He also thanked the audience of rail customers for their support in pushing for an extension of the PTC deadline.

“It would have never happened had not freight rail’s customers let Washington, D.C., know the devastating impacts a rail shut down would have on American businesses and jobs,” he said.

Hamberger also mentioned a long-term project that will be getting a stepped-up focus in 2016: working with other industries and government to review the rulemaking process and improve a regulatory system that at times limits innovation and efficiencies. Hamberger argued that with a still-soft economy, American industry requires empirically-driven policy rooted in sound science.

Tags: