Todd Tiahrt: “I ask the committee pay close attention to the Surface Transportation Board and its environmental mitigation study for…”

“I ask the committee pay close attention to the Surface Transportation Board and its environmental mitigation study for Wichita. The report language specifies that the committee is concerned with Surface Transportation Finance Docket Number 32760. The committee is instructing the board to use as the basis for its decision verifiable and appropriate assumptions such as train speed and the number of trains. The committee is not telling the board what to base its decision on, but it is saying that the assumption it uses must be verifiable and appropriate. If there is any material change in the facts upon which the board bases its decision, then the committee expects the board to be proactive in exercising its jurisdiction by re-examining the final mitigation measures it would impose upon the Union Pacific Corp. or any of its subsidiaries. For example, if Union Pacific decides to significantly increase the number of trains going through Wichita or fails to get their speed up to 30 miles per hour going through town, then the committee expects the board to exercise its jurisdiction and increase the mitigation necessary to remedy the situation. Of course the city of Wichita or an interested party must petition the board to reopen the docket. The board does not have to monitor the number of trains or the speed of the trains traveling through Wichita. Wichita will be monitoring this closely.”