Peterson Statement to Minnesota Legislature on Rail Service

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Minnesota Seventh District Congressman Collin C. Peterson today continued his call for all sides to come together to resolve rail congestion and service issues and restore safe, reliable rail service. Peterson submitted a statement to a Minnesota Senate and House joint meeting examining rail congestion and safety in the state.

Peterson's full statement, as submitted for the record, is below:

STATEMENT CONGRESSMAN COLLIN C. PETERSON

Minnesota Senate & House Joint Meeting

Rail Congestion and Safety in Minnesota

September 30, 2014

Safe, reliable rail service is critical in rural areas in Minnesota like the 7th District. Three of the four Class I railroads in Minnesota cross the 7th District, and local communities and businesses rely on this resource to transport freight across the country and the world.

It goes without saying that we need rail service to be as safe as possible. The crash in Casselton last December was minutes away from being on a Main Street in Minnesota. It was a harsh reminder that we need to do more to make rail safety a priority. That's why I cosponsored H.R. 3040, the Safe Freight Act, which would require a two-man crew on all freight movement. I continue to closely monitor the Surface Transportation Board's ongoing investigation of the Casselton crash. Looking ahead, I hope we can address these safety issues more broadly in the next surface transportation reauthorization bill.

Rail service we can depend on is crucial, even more so now that we're beginning harvest season. USDA is forecasting an above average harvest this year for many crops, yet a number of elevators are reporting that they have no, or very limited, storage space for new crop deliveries. Crops need to get to market, and congestion hurts the local economy. Farmers, elevator operators, and ethanol plants are just a few examples of folks I've heard from in my district who tell me how powerless they feel in this situation.

On September 4, I testified at the Surface Transportation Board hearing in Fargo to discuss the impact rail service delays continue to have on our local businesses and agriculture industry in the 7th District. I also sent a letter with Congressman Walz and Congressman Nolan in April outlining our specific concerns about how Minnesota is being impacted. In addition to restoring rail service, I support a comprehensive effort to diversify our transportation infrastructure network. We need to make rail service more efficient and free up additional capacity for the movement of agriculture and energy commodities necessary to keep our economy strong.

In my meetings with the rail companies to discuss these issues, they have laid out the constraints facing the industry. Some rail companies have already set aside long-term funding to make infrastructure investments. While these efforts are encouraging, I believe there is still more that needs to be done.

We need all sides to come together and figure out a way to resolve these issues and restore a safe, reliable rail service in Minnesota.