Statement on Nomination of Patrick Fuchs to the Surface Transportation Board

March 2, 2018

WASHINGTON– U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, issued the following statement on the nomination of Patrick Fuchs, currently a senior professional staff member at the Commerce Committee, to the Surface Transportation Board (STB):

“While I will miss Patrick and his expertise at the Commerce Committee, I am excited for him to have this opportunity to serve on the Surface Transportation Board. Railroads and their customers will benefit from his sense of fairness and his talent that we utilized over the past three years at the Commerce Committee to help pass legislation reauthorizing passenger railroad service, making resources available to improve safety, and reforming the Surface Transportation Board. Once the committee receives the formal nomination and other required submissions, I expect we will move quickly to convene a confirmation hearing.”

The STB is the independent federal regulatory body responsible for economic oversight of the nation's freight rail system. Run by a five-member bipartisan board serving five-year terms, the STB has regulatory jurisdiction over railroad rates, mergers, service, line acquisitions, new rail-line construction, line abandonment, and other rail issues. The STB was created by Congress in 1996 as the successor to the Interstate Commerce Commission.