Elliott sworn in as STB chairman

Elliott sworn in as STB chairman    Daniel R. Elliott III was sworn in last Thursday as chairman of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board.
   Elliott, 46, served for 16 years as associate general counsel to the United Transportation Union (UTU). Earlier, he practiced at law firms in Washington and Cleveland. He is the fifth person to serve as chairman of the STB, which was formed in 1996 as the successor agency to the Interstate Commerce Commission.
   The STB is an economic regulatory agency charged with, among other things, resolving freight railroad rate and service disputes, reviewing proposed rail mergers, rail line purchases, constructions and abandonments.

Elliott

   In a press release announcing his swearing in, the board repeated Elliott’s statement during his nomination hearing that he would use his post to “bring more harmony to the often contentious relationship between shippers and railroads and bring more openness and speed to the board’s processes.”
   Elliott’s nomination was not without controversy. A statement from his UTU International President Mike Futhey which said Elliott’s nomination and that of Joe Szabo to head the Federal Railroad Administration, demonstrated UTU’s political influence. In response the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee put Elliott’s nomination on hold until they received an apology from Futhey.