STB

The Surface Transportation Board announced a public hearing to be held in Conejos, Colo., on a proposal by the San Luis and & Rio Grande Railroad to transfer onto railcars containers of contaminated dirt and debris from trucks originating at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. The Board has instituted a declaratory order proceeding to determine whether the Board’s jurisdiction preempts the land-use code of Conejos County, Colo., where the transloading would take place. The public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Hall, 6631 County Road 13, Conejos, Colo.

The Surface Transportation Board announced today a public hearing on May 3 to explore the current state of competition in the railroad industry and possible policy initiatives to promote more rail-to-rail competition. “I said last year that it was time for the Board to revisit the current rail regulatory framework and that is what we are doing,” said Board Chairman Daniel R. Elliott III. “We need to strike a balance between providing access to competitive rail transportation for shippers while maintaining the rail industry’s impressive economic renaissance.” The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m., in the Surface Transportation Board Hearing Room,

WASHINGTON — STB Member Charles D. Nottingham has been designated as the agency’s vice chairman, succeeding Francis P. Mulvey.