?CAPTIVE? RAIL CUSTOMERS BACK SENATE’s RAIL COMPETITION BILL

ôCAPTIVEö RAIL CUSTOMERS BACK SENATEÆS RAIL COMPETITION BILL    The American Chemistry Council, Consumers United for Rail Equity, and the Alliance for Rail Competition, representing commodity customers of freight railroads, have announced their support for the Rail Competition Act of 2003, introduced April 11 in the U.S. Senate.
   The groups said in a joint statement that current railroad policy places 'captive' rail customers, those served by only one railroad at origin or destination, at an economic disadvantage, which the proposed legislation could alleviate.
   The bill, sponsored by seven senators, would require railroads to quote rates to their customers, and provide for the arbitration of certain rail rate and service disputes.
   It would also allow the federal government to declare all or part of a state to be an area of inadequate rail competition.