FOR RELEASE
Contact: Dennis Watson
12/28/98 (Monday)
(202) 565-1596
No. 98-87
FIRS 1 (800) 877-8339
www.stb.gov


WILLIAM CLYBURN JR. TAKES OATH OF OFFICE AS SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD MEMBER


Surface Transportation Board (Board) Chairman Linda J. Morgan announced

that William Clyburn, Jr., in a private ceremony today, was sworn in as the Board's

fourth member since the agency's creation in 1996. The oath of office was administered

by Chairman Morgan. A public swearing-in ceremony will take place at a later date.



Commissioner Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina, was nominated to the

Board on September 2, 1997 by President Clinton and began service through a

December 18, 1998 Presidential recess appointment. President Clinton intends to

resubmit Commissioner Clyburn's nomination when the 106th Congress convenes.



At the time of his appointment, Commissioner Clyburn was serving as the

Commerce Counsel to Senator Chuck Robb (D-Va.). In this capacity, his primary

responsibilities included advising the Senator on the policy implications of federal

legislative initiatives involving transportation issues such as railroad mergers, labor

concerns, appropriations for intermodal facilities, and the development of intelligent

transportation systems.



Prior to joining Senator Robb, Commissioner Clyburn served as Staff Counsel to

the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (1993-95).

From 1992 to 1993, Commissioner Clyburn served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable

Rodney A. Peeples of the Second Circuit Court in South Carolina.



Commissioner Clyburn received a B.S. in Ceramic Engineering from the

Georgia Institute of Technology and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina.



The Surface Transportation Board is a bi-partisan independent regulatory

agency that was created in 1995 as the successor to the former Interstate Commerce

Commission (ICC). The Board adjudicates matters primarily focused on the railroad

industry such as mergers, rail line abandonments, and rate reasonableness.



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