Surface Transportation Board Visit to LyondellBasell Facility Highlights Importance of Freight Rail to Chemical Industry
June 8, 2022
Government working with industry to better understand policy implementation is key to the success of U.S. businesses.
Chairman Oberman, Vice Chairman Schultz, and Board Member Fuchs of the Surface Transportation Board toured the LyondellBasell facility in Morris, Illinois to see firsthand how important reliable & competitive freight rail service is to U.S. manufacturing. We commend the STB for taking the time to get a real-world account of operations.
Reliable freight rail plays a very important role in supporting operations at America’s manufacturing sites and in connecting materials to the nation’s supply chain. Solving ongoing rail issues are central to the growth of manufacturing in the U.S.
The American Chemistry Council, which represents 190 of America’s leading chemical companies, has weighed in among other stakeholders including agriculture and consumer goods groups.
Stakeholders have recommended the STB enable “reciprocal switching” – a proposal that will allow certain rail customers to request that their freight be moved to another major railroad when another rail line is reasonably accessible. This would mean that rail customers that currently lack competitive transportation options would for the first time have an effective means to seek competitive bids for rail service.
With a large group of U.S. Senators also encouraging the Board to explore all solutions to ongoing rail concerns, it’s likely this issue will continue to see movement.