STB Field Hearing Scheduled on Efficiency and Reliability of Rail Transportation for Energy Supply

On June 6, 2007, the Surface Transportation Board ("STB") released a notice officially announcing that it will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 in Kansas City, Missouri starting at 9AM. The STB's notice states that the hearing will address the efficiency and reliability of rail transportation of the Nation's energy supply, including coal, ethanol, and biofuels. In addition, the STB, as the agency with jurisdiction over rail common carrier transportation, explained that rail transportation of coal and other fuels is a "vital link" in the Nation's energy supply chain, which, in turn, is crucial to economic and national security.