FOR RELEASE
Contact: Dennis Watson
02/25/2003 (Tuesday)
(202) 565-1596
No. 03-9
FIRS 1 (800) 877-8339
www.stb.gov


Surface Transportation Board Provides Schedule of Appearances & Time Allocations, Instructions for Public & Media Attendance at February 27 Public Hearing


Surface Transportation Board (Board) Chairman Roger Nober today provided a schedule of speakers' appearances and respective time allocations, and instructions for public and media attendance, for the Board's February 27, 2003 public hearing concerning its proposal to amend its regulations to expedite the resolution of challenges to railroad rates.



As publicly announced on January 24, 2003 (see Surface Transportation "News" release 03-4), the hearing will begin at 10:00 a.m. EST on Thursday, February 27, in Room 760, the Board's hearing room, on the 7th Floor at the agency's headquarters in the Mercury Building, 1925 K Street, N.W. Washington, D.C.



MATTER AT ISSUE:

The Board has received written comments in response to its proposal in the proceeding entitled Procedures to Expedite Resolution of Rail Rate Challenges To Be Considered Under the Stand-Alone Cost Methodology, STB Ex Parte No. 638 (issued to the public on September 4, 2002), to adopt mandatory pre-filing, non-binding mediation; more restrictive standards under which one party can obtain "discovery" of information that another party has; and an expedited process for resolving discovery disputes in rate cases considered under the "stand-alone" cost methodology. After reviewing these written comments, the Board believes it would benefit from the views presented orally by representatives of parties to the proceeding and other interested persons.



INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUBLIC AND MEDIA ATTENDANCE:

• There will be no reserved seating. Given the following procedures, please plan to arrive early enough to be seated no later than 9:45 a.m.

• Please enter the Mercury Building's main entrance at 1925 K Street (on the northeast corner of the intersection of 20th and K Sts.). All visitors must be cleared through security in the Board's Suite 100 (on the 1st Floor, at the top of the ramp to the left of the main lobby) prior to being escorted to the hearing room.

• For security reasons, be prepared to produce photo identification (such as a driver's license), pass through a metal detector, and submit to an inspection of all briefcases, handbags, etc.

• Quiet laptops and tape recorders may be brought into the hearing room, but absolutely no provision will be made for the connection of personal computers to Board telephone lines.

• Cellular telephone use is not permitted in the hearing room, or in the rear anteroom. Cellular phones may only be used outside the hearing room.

• The Board's hearing room complies with the Americans With Disabilities Act, and persons needing such accommodation should contact Beverly Ledbetter, in the Board's Section of Facilities Management, at (202) 565-1709, by the close of business on Wednesday, February 26, 2003.



SCHEDULE OF APPEARANCES

A schedule of speakers' appearances and time allocations (subject to slight change as the situation warrants) is attached. In organizing panels of speakers, the Board, pursuant to a request from a shipper interest, has arranged for shipper interests to speak early in the hearing. As the Board Members have read and are familiar with the arguments contained within the written submissions filed previously, the Board requests that speakers not orally present those submissions verbatim during the hearing but, rather, briefly summarize the submissions, augment their content as seen fit, and be prepared to answer questions Board Members may ask from the bench.



Following the conclusion of the hearing, a summary news release will be issued and posted under "News and Speeches" on the Board's Website at http://www.stb.dot.gov.



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ATTACHMENT: STB EX PARTE NO. 638 SCHEDULE OF APPEARANCES*



Party / Time Allotted

Panel I: Government

U.S. Department of Transportation / 3 minutes
Paul Samuel Smith



Panel II: Shippers

Western Coal Traffic League / 25 minutes
Mark W. Schwirtz / Kelvin J. Dowd

Edison Electric Institute / 25 minutes
Michael F. McBride / Charles Linderman

National Industrial Transportation League / 20 minutes
Nicholas J. DiMichael



Panel III: Railroads

Association of American Railroads / 30 minutes
Samuel M. Sipe, Jr.

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company / 20 minutes
Richard E. Weicher

CSX Transportation, Inc. / 10 minutes
Peter J. Shudtz

Norfolk Southern Corporation / 10 minutes
James A. Squires

Union Pacific Railroad Company / 10 minutes
J. Michael Hemmer



*As the Board Members have read and are familiar with the arguments contained within the written submissions filed previously, the Board requests that speakers not orally present those submissions verbatim during the hearing but, rather, briefly summarize the submissions, augment their content as seen fit, and be prepared to answer questions Board Members may ask from the bench.