[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 144 (Thursday, October 23, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H9043]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         UNION PACIFIC MONOPOLY

  (Mr. DeFAZIO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, freight rail service in large parts of 
the Western United States is at the point of collapse. Shipments have 
been delayed for weeks, even lost for months. That is not uncommon. 
Rail car shortages are so bad that plants in my district and throughout 
the Northwest are laying off workers, curtailing production for which 
they have orders because they cannot ship the product and they have got 
no place to put it.
  Union Pacific's response has been, we are a monopoly now. We really 
do not care very much about your problems because you have got no place 
else to turn. Shippers have turned to the Service Transportation Board 
of the Government in desperation and now Union Pacific has a response, 
a suggested form letter with a carbon copy to President Dick Davidson 
of UP saying, we do not want any help or intervention, things might get 
better. UP is going to fix things now. They are paying attention.
  They are being coerced into signing these letters, they are telling 
me, for fear that the dribble of rail cars they are now getting will be 
totally shut off. The Government has to step in and get the attention 
of this monopoly and straighten this out.

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