Did you see: “Minnesota needs federal action on railroads”
Sam Fettig, Communications Assistant
Al penned an op-ed in the Grand Forks Herald, addressing his work on fixing serious problems with rail service in Minnesota.
WASHINGTON — There’s no doubt about it: Rail service in Minnesota is a mess — and it’s hurting farmers, businesses and consumers throughout our state.
I’ve met with sugar growers in East Grand Forks, grain producers and rural energy leaders in Albert Lea and farmers everywhere in between. They tell me that shipping delays are a serious threat to their livelihoods, and that they’re fed up with rising prices and subpar service from the two rail companies — BNSF and Canadian Pacific — who enjoy a monopoly over many of the markets they serve in our state.
A recent report estimates that the lack of reliable rail service already has cost Minnesota farmers more than $100 million. In a state where one in five jobs rely on agriculture, that is simply unacceptable.
The rail companies point to last winter’s extreme weather, which forced trains to run slower and exacerbated a backlog of orders they’re still struggling to fill.
There’s no doubt that the cold made a bad situation worse. But excuses won’t help farmers get their goods to market. They don’t change the fact that trains full of oil from North Dakota are rattling through our state, passing right by our overloaded grain elevators.
And they don’t offer much solace to businesses worried about how subpar rail service (especially from Canadian Pacific, which shippers tell me is even further behind than BNSF) is affecting their bottom line.
That’s why I’ve been working hard to force real action to address the rail backlog and improve service for our state.
The Surface Transportation Board is responsible for regulating rail companies. And I’ve had a simple message for the STB since I got to the Senate: Do your job — by forcing the railroads to do theirs.
Make no mistake: I’m working to make sure the voices of Minnesota farmers are being heard in Washington.
After I demanded action from the STB, they directed the rail companies to prioritize fertilizer shipments so that farmers could get it in time for the spring planting season. And this summer, the board listened to Minnesota and demanded that the rail companies make and stick to a plan to prioritize grain shipments and address the backlog.
Next up: coal. Dairyland Power Co-op’s power plant near La Crosse, Wis., gets its coal by barges that, in turn, are fed by rail. But BNSF is behind in getting coal to the barges; and if it doesn’t catch up by the time the Mississippi River freezes, Dairyland would be forced to buy power from other, more expensive sources.
And because Dairyland is a cooperative, that means higher prices for members, something we’ve seen happen before.
I want the Surface Transportation Board to do its job once again and force BNSF and Canadian Pacific to devote more resources — employees, engines and railcars — to the Upper Midwest before the cold weather arrives. And I’m glad that the STB held a field hearing in Fargo, where they got an earful from concerned businesses and consumers.
Fixing the shipping backlog is a top priority for me. But with so little competition in the market, the big railroads have little incentive to improve service unless they’re forced to do so. In fact, some shippers have told me that they fear retribution from the rail companies if they speak out about the problems they encounter.
That’s why I teamed up with Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana to make it easier to file a formal complaint against the railroads. It used to cost a prohibitively expensive $20,000 for a farmer or manufacturer to file a complaint; Vitter and I got the fee down to $350.
But, in the long run, we need to address the lack of rail competition, a problem known as “captive shipping.” It’s a problem that’s been hurting Minnesota for a long time — in fact, I’ve been familiar with it since I was just 4 years old.
My family moved to Albert Lea in 1955 so my father could open a quilting factory there. It failed. Later, when I asked my dad why he’d picked Albert Lea to launch his business in the first place, he responded, “Well, the railroad went through Albert Lea.”
Why, then, had the factory failed?
“It went through, but it wouldn’t stop.”
More than a half-century later, poor rail service remains a serious threat to Minnesota’s economy. Eliminating the backlog currently facing our farmers and businesses is an important first step, but it’s time we addressed the problem of captive shipping once and for all.
The post Did you see: “Minnesota needs federal action on railroads” appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
Al Franken's Blog
- Al Franken's profile
- 651 followers
