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>From the Surface Transportation Board, Washington, D.C.
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Surface Transportation Board (Board) Chairman Roger Nober announced today
that the Board has adopted its 2005 User Fee Update Schedule ("2005
Update") for the processing of various transportation financial
transactions and other types of proceedings filed with the Board.
The STB made its 2005 Update in the proceeding entitled Regulations
Governing Fees for Services Performed in Connection with Licensing and
Related Services--2005 Update, STB Ex Parte No. 542 (Sub-No. 12). In
adopting the 2005 Update, the agency reiterated that the regulations
provide for the waiver of a fee for any entity demonstrating that payment
of such a fee will present a financial hardship.
Today's decision in STB Ex Parte No. 542 (Sub-No. 12) is available for
viewing and downloading via the STB's Web site at http://www.stb.dot.gov.
A printed copy of the agency's decision also is available for a fee by
contacting ASAP Document Solutions, 9332 Annapolis Rd., Suite 103, Lanham,
MD 20706, telephone (202) 306-4004, or via asapdc@xxxxxxxxxxxx A fact
sheet is attached to this news release.
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ATTACHMENT
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FACT SHEET
Regulations Governing Fees for Services Performed in Connection with
Licensing and Related Services--2005 Update, STB Ex Parte No. 542 (Sub-No.
12)
The 2005 Update--to become effective May 6, 2005--primarily is designed to
offset agency expenses and to reflect changes to the Surface Transportation
Board's overhead factors (decreases to two factors and an increase to the
third).
The 2005 Update maintains the same 127 fee or sub-fee items ("items") from
the Board's 2004 User Fee Update Schedule ("2004 Update"). Only 61 (about
48 percent) of these fees reflect increases over the Board's 2004 Update,
ranging from small increases of $1 for seven items and $2 for one other
item, to a $35,400 increase for the processing of a maximum coal case under
the coal-rate guidelines. Of the 61 items being increased, about 64
percent (39 items) are being increased by $100 or less, while the remaining
items (22) are being increased by more than $100 each. Sixty-six existing
items remain unchanged.
The regulations at Section 1002 of Title 49, United Stated Code (49 CFR
1002) require the Board to conduct a proceeding annually to update its user
fee schedule to reflect the cost of the services it provides. Fee
increases involved in the 2005 Update generally were derived from the
application of the update formula at Section 1002.3(d) of Title 49 adopted
by the Board (following public notice and comment procedures) in the
proceeding entitled Regulations Governing Fees for Services--1987 Update, 4
I.C.C.2d 137 (1987). The 2005 Update is in accordance with the
Congressional directive, included in the Fiscal Year 2005 transportation
appropriations legislation, that the Board raise $1.050 million in fees to
cover a portion of its budget.
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