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.
STB’s Buttrey to step down in March
