Short Line CEO Testifies in ASLRRA's Behalf at House T&I Subcommittee Hearing on CARB In-Use Locomotive Regulation

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 9, 2024 — Dillon Olvera, President and CEO of the Modesto and Empire Traction Company (the MET), testified today on behalf of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials in a hearing, “An Examination of the California Air Resource Board’s (CARB) In-Use Locomotive Regulation.” Olvera shared the potential catastrophic impact that the CARB rule will have on short lines in California due to the cost of compliance. CARB’s new rule would force railroads to set aside significant revenue in a ‘savings account’ to acquire low and zero-emission locomotives that are not commercially available and not viable at-scale for the industry. This ignores and upends the fundamental business model of short line railroads. Furthermore, the rule is illegal, pre-empted by federal law including the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act (ICCTA) and the Clean Air Act and the Locomotive Inspection Act, and evades any effort to recognize how it will uniquely impact small businesses.

View Olvera's written testimony here.

ASLRRA Testifies to Dire Consequences to Small Railroads of New California Rule

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2024 – Chuck Baker, President of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), testified today before the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight in a hearing titled “Environmentalism Off the Rails: How CARB Will Cripple the National Rail Network.”

ASLRRA Joins AAR in Providing Comments in Response to CISA NPRM – Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 3, 2024 – ASLRRA and AAR jointly filed comments in response to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act (CIRCIA) Reporting Requirements issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  The comments address concerns with an overly-broad definition of ‘covered entity’ and the collection and retention of too much information. In addition, some railroad entities are already required under TSA Directives to report incidents to CISA. Unless addressed, these issues will result in excessive and superfluous reports, which will hamper CISA’s ability to analyze threats and share defensive measures with the speed and accuracy that would make such information valuable. Furthermore, burdensome retention requirements and unclear harmonization guidelines will impose significant expense on businesses, like freight railroads. ASLRRA and AAR urge CISA to adopt a final rule that embraces more targeted reporting requirements and greater harmonization with other agencies.