STB’s Buttrey to step down in March

STB’s Buttrey to step down in March Surface Transportation Board Commissioner W. Douglas Buttrey said Friday he will conclude his term on the board March 13, fulfilling a pledge to wrap up pending matters before he stepped down at the end of his term.
   The five-year term of Buttrey, who was nominated to the STB by President Bush on Nov. 17, 2003, expired Dec. 31. In August, he announced that he would hold over for a period into 2009 for the STB to complete certain pending matters, a move allowable by the board’s governing statute — it permits a board member to serve for up to one year after a term has ended unless a successor is appointed.
   Specifically, Buttrey has presided over hearings involving:
   ‘ The STB’s approval of the CN merger with the EJ&E railroad.
   ‘ Modification of standards to provide better shipper access to the board’s rate adjudication processes.
   ‘ Modification of the methodology for determining the railroad industry’s cost of capital.
   ‘ Re-establishment of rail service for a group of shippers in the Pacific Northwest.
   ‘ Approval of the largest ever award to shippers in a rate reasonableness case.