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**Who's Who and What Does it Do?**AddressesPublic RecordsOfficialsPublic AssistanceRegulationsRetained FunctionsWhat Do We Do?Eliminated Functions
Commissioners' Biographies
 
**SURFACE    TRANSPORTATION BOARD**    1925 K Street, N.W.    Washington, DC 20423-0001     Phone: (202)565-1500**DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION**    400 Seventh Street, S.W.    Washington, DC 20590     Phone: (202) 366-4000 
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**Appointed    Officials**Chairman**
**Roger  Nober****Vice Chairman**
**Vacant****Commissioner**
**Vacant**
**Policy Offices**Director, Office of Economics,    Environmental Analysis and Administration 
Leland L. Gardner General Counsel 
Ellen D.     HansonSecretary 
Vernon A. Williams Director, Office of Compliance and Enforcement 
Melvin F. Clemens, Jr.Director, Office of Proceedings 
David M. Konschnik Director, Office of Congressional and Public Services 
Dan King
 

[For the Department of Transportation statement of Regulations,Title 49, Part 1, Subpart A] organization, see the Code of Federal Regulations

The Surface Transportation Board (Board) was established onJanuary 1, 1996 as a decisionally independent, bipartisan, adjudicatory bodyorganizationally housed within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), withjurisdiction over certain surface transportation economic regulatory matters. It wascreated by a December 29, 1995 Act of Congress (49 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) known asthe ICC Termination Act of 1995 (ICCTA). The ICCTA terminated the Interstate CommerceCommission (ICC) effective December 31, 1995; eliminated various functions previouslyperformed by the ICC; transferred licensing and certain non-licensing motor carrierfunctions to the Federal Highway Administration within DOT; and transferred remaining railand non-rail functions to the Board. Passage of this legislation represented a furtherstep in the process of streamlining and reforming the Federal economic regulatoryoversight of the railroad, trucking, and bus industries that was initiated in the late1970's and early 1980's. 

The Board adjudicates disputes and regulates interstate surface transportation throughvarious laws pertaining to the different modes of surface transportation. In this regard,the Board's general responsibilities include the oversight of firms engaged intransportation in interstate and in foreign commerce to the extent that it takes placewithin the United States, or between or among points in the contiguous United States andpoints in Alaska, Hawaii, or U.S. territories or possessions. Surface transportationmatters under the Board's jurisdiction in general include railroad rate and serviceissues, rail restructuring transactions (mergers, line sales, line construction, and lineabandonments) and labor matters related thereto; certain trucking company, moving van, andnon-contiguous ocean shipping company rate matters; certain intercity passenger buscompany structure, financial, and operational matters; and certain pipeline matters notregulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. 

The Board is headed by Board Members appointed by the President and confirmed by theSenate. The Board is authorized to have three members, each with a five-year term ofoffice. The Board's Chairman is designated by the President from among the Members. 

In the performance of its functions, the Board is charged with promoting, whereappropriate, substantive and procedural regulatory reform in the economic regulation ofsurface transportation, and with providing an efficient and effective forum for theresolution of disputes. Through the granting of exemptions from regulations wherewarranted, the streamlining of its decisional process and the regulations applicablethereto, and the consistent and fair application of legal and equitable principles, theBoard seeks to facilitate commerce by providing an effective forum for efficient disputeresolution and facilitation of appropriate market-based business transactions. The Boardcontinues to strive to develop, through rulemakings and case disposition, new and betterways to analyze unique and complex problems, to reach fully justified decisions morequickly, to reduce the costs associated with regulatory oversight, and to encourageprivate-sector negotiations and resolutions to problems where appropriate. 

**Public Records. Requests for access topublic records should be made to the 
Office of the SecretarySuite 700Surface Transportation Board1925 K St  **N.W.Washington, DC 20423-0001Phone: (202) 565-1674.**

**Public Assistance. Requests for publicassistance with pending or potential proceedings should be addressed to:Office of Congressional and Public ServicesSuite 840Surface Transportation Board1925 K St. N.W.Washington, DC 20423-0001(202) 565-1592.**
**For further information, contact:Office of Congressional and External AffairsSuite 840Surface Transportation Board1925 K St. N.W., Washington, DC 20423-0001(202) 565-1594. 
*ICC Termination Act of 1995*
*RETAINED FUNCTIONS***Rail Regulation*(all administered by STB):*Common Carrier Obligation. Exemptions. Rail Mergers. Line Transfers, Leases, and Trackage Rights. Line Sales to Noncarriers. Labor Protection.Rate Regulation for Common Carriage, including:      Public Disclosure of Rates and Service Terms.      Advance Notice of Rate Increases or Changes in Service Terms.     Maximum Rate Reasonableness for Captive Traffic.Contracts for Transportation of Agricultural Products requirements, including:      Filing of Summaries.     Protest and Matching Rights.      Equipment Limitations.Rail Cost Adjustment Factor (RCAF) Computation.Reasonableness of Practices. Rate Discrimination.Car Supply and Interchange.Emergency Service Orders. Competitive Access.Line Constructions, including Line Crossings.Line Abandonments, including:      Financial Assistance.      Rails-to-Trails.     Public Use Provision for Right-of-way. Feeder Line Development Program.Collective Ratemaking (and Antitrust Immunity) InterLocking Officers and Directors Recording Liens.Data Collection and Oversight **Motor Carrier Regulation:**Common Carrier Obligation (together with freedom to provide Contract Service). Exemptions (by STB *and DOT Secy.,*app*licable).*Registration of Carriers - Trucking and Bus Companies *(DOT Secy..).*Insurance Requirements *(DOT Secy.)*Rate Reasonableness (STB) for     Residential Household Goods Moves.      Joint Motor-Water Rates in Noncontiguous Domestic Trade.      Collectively-set Rates. Collective Ratemaking (and Antitrust Immunity) (STB). Pooling (STB). Undercharges *(STB).*Background Commercial Rules (but not informal dispute resolution) *(DOT Secy)*for:     Owner-Operator Leasing.      Lumping.      Loss and Damage Claims.     Duplicate Payments and Overcharges. Household Goods Operations, including:      Tariffs (not filed) *(STB).**    *Mandatory Arbitration*(DOT Secy.).**    *Rules for Binding Estimates and Guaranteed      Agent-Van Line Relations *(DOT Secy.)*with AntitrustImmunity *(STB)**    *Performance Standards *(DOT Secy.)*Preemption of Intrastate Regulation.Data Collection and Oversight *(DOT Secy.).*Freight Forwarders -- Registration and Insurance *(DOT Secy.)*Brokers - Registration and Insurance *(DOT Secy.)*Bus Company Mergers (STB). Bus Company Through-Route Requirements (Sir).Mexican Carriers *(DOT Secy.),*including:      Registration and Insurance.      Enforcement of NAFTA restrictions. **Regulation of Domestic Water Carriage:**Tariff Filing and Rate Reasonableness Requirements for Noncontiguous Domestic Trade (STB).**Regulation of Pipelines**(all administered by STB): Common Carrier Obligation. Rate Regulation, including:      Public Disclosure of Rates and Service Terms.      Advance Notice of rate Increases or Changes in Service Terms.      Reasonableness. Reasonableness of Practices. Rate Discrimination. **Intermodal Regulation**(STB):Rail-Water connections for non-contiguous domestic trade.

***ICC Termination Act of 1995***
***ELIMINATED FUNCTIONS ANDPROVISIONS**

**Rail Regulation**: 

Tariffs. Rate investigation and suspension process.ZORF (Zone of rate freedom). Minimum rate regulation.Contract rate regulation for non-agricultural commodities, including:      Filing requirements.      Percentage limitations on equipment commitments.     Complaint and matching rights. Joint rate surcharge and cancellation supervision. Recyclables special rate standards. Labor protection for:      Class III carriers.      Noncarrier line acquisitions.     Feeder line cases.Intermodal ownership restrictions.Commodities clause restrictions.Interlocking officers and directors restrictions for Class III carriers. State certification and regulatory authority. Securities issuances. Valuation. Passenger train discontinuances. **Motor Carrier Regulation**: Licensing - need-based criteria (except for certain subsidized passenger carriers)                -permanent license (must now be renewed). Contract carriage - limitations and restrictions removed. Control and transfer transactions for trucking companies. Collective activity - permanent approval (must now be renewed). Tariff filing (except for noncontiguous domestic trade). Rate regulation (except for residential household goods moves, noncontiguous domestictrade, and collectively-set rates). Undercharges - Sept.30, 199O cut-off for unreasonablepractice provision.Informal dispute resolution in the following areas:      Owner-operator leasing.      Lumping.      Loss and damage claims.      Duplicate payments and overcharges.      Household goods and auto-driveaway carriers.Intercity bus route discontinuances. Intrastate preemption -- Sunset date for Hawaii intrastate regulation. **Regulation of Domestic Water Carriage:**All regulation, except for noncontiguous domestic trade.      (Residual jurisdiction retained for preemption purposes.) **Regulation of Pipelines:**     Tariff filing.      Rate investigation and suspension process. **Organizational:****    **Interstate Commerce Commission      Joint Boards      Rail Services Planning Office     Rail Public Counsel ****

 

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