FOR RELEASE
Contact: Janie Sheng (202) 245-0221
06/04/2008 (Wednesday)
No. 08-18


FedRelay 1 (800) 877-8339
www.stb.gov
PUBLIC & MEDIA ADVISORY: SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD TO HOLD JULY 16 HEARING ON RAILROADS' COMMON CARRIER OBLIGATION & THE TRANSPORT OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS


The Surface Transportation Board (Board) today announced that it will hold a public hearing on July 16, 2008, to examine issues related to the common carrier obligation of railroads—the duty of railroads to provide transportation or service on reasonable request—with respect to the transportation of hazardous materials. This hearing follows a hearing the Board held in April on the general topic of the common carrier obligation of railroads. The July 16 hearing will provide a forum for a more detailed discussion of issues specifically pertaining to the railroads' common carrier obligation regarding the movement of toxic by inhalation hazards (TIH) and other hazardous materials.


The Wednesday, July 16, 2008, hearing will begin at 9:00 a.m. in the Board's Hearing Room on the 1st Floor of the agency's headquarters at Patriots Plaza, 395 E Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. Notices of intent to participate and each speaker's written testimony should be filed in the same document no later than July 2, 2008. Written submissions by interested persons who do not wish to appear at the hearing also will be due by July 2, 2008.


The Board's notice announcing the July 16 hearing in the proceeding entitled Common Carrier Obligation of Railroads—Transportation of Hazardous Materials, STB Ex Parte No. 677 (Sub-No. 1), was issued today, June 4, 2008. The notice will be published in the Federal Register and is available for viewing and downloading on the agency's Web site at http://www.stb.dot.gov under "E-Library," then under "Decisions & Notices," beneath the date "6/4/08."


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