Political Quotes

“Mr. President, in recognition of Short Line Rail Advocacy Day, which was on May 17, I want to speak about the important services short line railroads provide to their customers and the entire economy. I also want to highlight the importance of the railroad track maintenance credit, otherwise known as the short line credit, for maintaining a robust network of short line rail. The short line credit is available to what are known as class II and class III railroads, which are categorized based on revenue thresholds set by the Surface Transportation Board. This tax credit is not available to the large national and international railroads most people are probably familiar with. While the short line railroads generally operate in a relatively small area, they have a massive impact. Short line railroads serve a key role in transporting manufactured goods and agricultural products from factories and farms to markets in the U.S and beyond. They often serve as the ``first and last mile'' in our Nation's freight transportation network. These links to the rest of the world are crucial to Iowa's economic competitiveness and communities across the country. Nearly half of Iowa's railroad miles are operated by 13 small railroads that transport more than 300,000 carloads of material a year. Support of short line railroads has been a long-standing bipartisan priority. Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the short line credit.…”