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>From the Surface Transportation Board, Washington, D.C.
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In an action that will provide greater public access to its processes, the
Surface Transportation Board today announced that it is reducing the fee
charged shippers to file a railroad rate or unreasonable practice complaint
from $20,000 to $350, and is maintaining the $150 fee to file an expedited
small rate case.
The Board based its decision on three policy considerations
justifying relatively low complaint-filing fees. The filing
of a complaint is often the Board’s only mechanism for
investigating and addressing potential rate violations or
other unlawful practices. High fees for the filing of formal
complaints may discourage shippers and others from bringing
complaints before the Board. The changes to the Board’s
regulations reducing such fees should improve the agency’s
management of its docket and resources.
Today’s action follows the Board’s February 15, 2011 notice
of proposed rulemaking in which the agency proposed reducing
some fees. At that time, Chairman Daniel R. Elliott III
stated that “Charging a small business more than $20,000 to
bring a complaint is not right,” and expressed concern that
that the some meritorious cases may not have been filed with
the agency because of high filing fees.
While Chairman Elliott believes the new fee structure will
make it easier for shippers to file formal cases with the
Board, he invites them first to avail themselves of the
free, informal mediation service offered through the
agency’s Rail Customer and Public Assistance Program. He
added that the agency also offers a successful program of
formal mediation.
Today’s decision, Regulations Governing Fees for
Services,( http://www.stb.dot.gov/decisions/readingroom.nsf/WebDecisionID/41676?OpenDocument )
Docket No. EP 542 (Sub-No. 18), can be found on
www.stb.dot.gov.
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