Hotline #28 - April 3, 1998

The House passed H.R.2400, the ISTEA renewal bill, on April 1. It has $10 million a year for high-speed corridor grade-crossing work; $25 million a year for Swift Act technology development; and $10 million a year for corridor planning. The bill has roughly $1 billion for "green projects," including funding earmarked for intercity rail in Georgia, Oregon, and Virginia; $10 million for Detroit-Lansing service; and money for train stations in Sacramento and in Springfield and Worcester, Mass. The Boston North Station-South Station Rail Link is listed, though it is unclear how much money it would get.

H.R.2400 does not include state funding flexibility for intercity passenger trains, but the Senate bill does. This is one of the many differences that will have to be worked out in conference. A floor discussion indicated that the conference may add State of Washington rail corridor funding.

House conferees have been appointed. The Republicans are Shuster (Pa.), Young (Alaska), Petri (Wis.), Boehlert (N.Y.), Kim (Cal.), Horn (Cal.), Fowler (Fla.), Baker (La.), Ney (Ohio), Metcalf (Wash.). Democrats are Oberstar (Minn.), Rahall (W.Va.), Wise (W.Va.), Borski (Pa.), Lipinski (Ill.), Clyburn (S.C.), Filner (Cal.), McGovern (Mass.). Senate conferees will be the entire Environment and Public Works Committee, plus a few others yet to be named.

Please tell your legislators -- especially if they are among the conferees -- to work for the Senate language on intercity passenger rail flexibility. The House and Senate have adjourned for two weeks, so many members will be home where you can reach them.

The Senate budget resolution passed last night. There were no anti-Amtrak amendments. Instead, there was a very positive Sense of the Senate amendment. Its primary sponsors were Lautenberg (D.-N.J.) and Lott (R.-Miss.), and it called for full funding of authorized Amtrak programs. The amendment passed on a voice vote.

Reports indicated that the Clinton Administration has some nominees in mind for the new Amtrak board. They are DOT Secretary Rodney Slater, current board members Sylvia de Leon and Amy Rosen, Mayor John Robert Smith of Meridian, Miss., former Virginia Gov. Linwood Holton, former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, and William Teitelman.

The Surface Transportation Board told Maine officials to expect a decision on the Boston-Portland service in May. This involves a dispute between Amtrak and Guilford over the terms of operating the new service.

The STB itself was the subject of a hearing on March 31 in the Surface Transportation Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee. STB chair Linda Morgan -- herself a former staffer in that subcommittee -- came under intense fire from subcommittee members. Subcommittee chair Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Tex.), in particular, was critical of the STB's role in the takeover of the Southern Pacific by the Union Pacific, which many observers felt led to the terrible gridlock experienced in Texas and other places since last summer. The STB is up for reauthorization this year, though this week's hearing was held specifically to talk about railroad service problems.

The Association of American Railroads has appointed James Hagen as interim president. He replaces M. B. Oglesby, Jr., who resigned recently after less than nine months on the job. Hagen was chairman of Conrail from 1990 to 1996, and is a former assistant Federal Railroad Administrator.

The May issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine has a feature story on the Rocky Mountaineer and American Orient Express trains by deputy editor and long-time rail traveler Fred W. Frailey.

The March issue of Scientific American has an article about oil reserves in some of the larger world oil fields peaking in 2005, causing supply to start falling short of demand and prices increasing.