Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
Senators push transportation board to include coal industry representatives
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) wrote a letter to Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Martin J. Oberman requesting a plan to fill three vacant seats on the STB’s Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee (the Committee), which have been vacant for more than two years, with coal industry representatives.
“Coal remains the largest volume commodity on our nation’s railways. The lack of rail service is keeping coal from being shipped to utilities under service contracts and is even reducing the amount of mined coal. Missed trains and large delays caused by a lack of crews and irregular schedules have forced some coal mines to limit the production of coal, which ultimately results in lost jobs, despite the high demand and abundantly available resources,” wrote the senators.
North Dakota, Wyoming, and West Virginia produce nearly 60% of coal in the United States. Coal production in the U.S. increased by nearly 8% between 2020 and 2021, yet rail transportation options for the coal industry have decreased.
Joining Senators Cramer and Lummis are Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Joe Manchin (D-WV).
Click here to read the letter.