[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 105 (Friday, June 2, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25654-25655]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-11426]


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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD

[Docket No. EP 526 (Sub-No. 9)]


Notice of Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council 
Vacancy

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board (Board).

ACTION: Notice of vacancy on the Railroad-Shipper Transportation 
Advisory Council (RSTAC) and solicitation of nominations.

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SUMMARY: The Board hereby gives notice of a vacancy on RSTAC for an at-
large (public interest) representative. The Board is soliciting 
suggestions for candidates to fill this vacancy.

DATES: Nominations are due on June 29, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Suggestions may be submitted either via the Board's e-filing 
format or in the traditional paper format. Any person using e-filing 
should attach a document and otherwise comply with the instructions at 
the E-FILING link on the Board's Web site, at http://www.stb.gov. Any 
person submitting a filing in the traditional paper format should send 
an original and 10 copies to: Surface Transportation Board, Attn: 
Docket No. EP 526 (Sub-No. 9), 395 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20423-
0001 (if sending via express company or private courier, please use zip 
code 20024). Please note that submissions will be available to the 
public at the Board's offices and posted on the Board's Web site under 
Docket No. EP 526 (Sub-No. 9).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katherine Bourdon at 202-245-0285. 
Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Board, created in 1996 to take over many 
of the functions previously performed by the Interstate Commerce 
Commission, exercises broad authority over transportation by rail 
carriers, including regulation of railroad rates and service (49 U.S.C. 
10701-47, 11101-24), as well as the construction, acquisition, 
operation, and abandonment of rail lines (49 U.S.C. 10901-07) and 
railroad line sales, consolidations, mergers, and common control 
arrangements (49 U.S.C. 10902, 11323-27).
    RSTAC was established upon the enactment of the ICC Termination Act 
of 1995 (ICCTA), on December 29, 1995, to advise the Board's Chairman; 
the Secretary of Transportation; the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate; and the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives with respect to rail 
transportation policy issues RSTAC considers significant. RSTAC focuses 
on issues of importance to small shippers and small railroads, 
including car supply, rates, competition, and procedures for addressing 
claims. ICCTA directs RSTAC to develop private-sector mechanisms to 
prevent, or identify and address, obstacles to the most effective and 
efficient transportation system practicable. The Secretary of 
Transportation and the members of the Board cooperate with RSTAC in 
providing research, technical, and other reasonable support. RSTAC also 
prepares an annual report concerning its activities and recommendations 
on whatever regulatory or legislative relief it considers appropriate. 
RSTAC is not

[[Page 25655]]

subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
    RSTAC currently consists of 19 members. Of this number, 15 members 
are appointed by the Chairman of the Board, and the remaining four 
members are comprised of the Secretary of Transportation and the 
Members of the Board, who serve as ex officio, nonvoting members.\1\ Of 
the 15 members, nine members are voting members and are appointed from 
senior executive officers of organizations engaged in the railroad and 
rail shipping industries. At least four of the voting members must be 
representatives of small shippers as determined by the Chairman, and at 
least four of the voting members must be representatives of Class II or 
III railroads. The remaining six members to be appointed--three 
representing Class I railroads and three representing large shipper 
organizations--serve in a nonvoting, advisory capacity, but are 
entitled to participate in RSTAC deliberations.
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    \1\ The Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 
2015, Pub. L. 114-110 (2015), increased the number of Board Members 
from three to five. Once additional Board Members are appointed, 
they will also serve as RSTAC ex officio, nonvoting members.
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    RSTAC is required by statute to meet at least semi-annually. In 
recent years, RSTAC has met four times a year. Meetings are generally 
held at the Board's headquarters in Washington, DC, although some are 
held in other locations.
    RSTAC members receive no compensation for their services and are 
required to provide for the expenses incidental to their service, 
including travel expenses, as the Board cannot provide for these 
expenses. RSTAC may solicit and use private funding for its activities, 
again subject to certain restrictions in ICCTA. RSTAC members currently 
have elected to submit annual dues to pay for RSTAC expenses.
    RSTAC members must be citizens of the United States and represent 
as broadly as practicable the various segments of the railroad and rail 
shipper industries. They may not be full-time employees of the United 
States. According to revised guidance issued by the Office of 
Management and Budget, it is permissible for federally registered 
lobbyists to serve on advisory committees, such as RSTAC, as long as 
they do so in a representative capacity, rather than an individual 
capacity. See Revised Guidance on Appointment of Lobbyists to Fed. 
Advisory Comms., Bds., & Commn's., 79 FR 47482 (Aug. 13, 2014). Members 
of RSTAC are appointed to serve in a representative capacity.
    RSTAC members are appointed for three-year terms. A member may 
serve after the expiration of his or her term until a successor has 
been appointed. No member will be eligible to serve in excess of two 
consecutive terms.
    Due to the expiration of an RSTAC member's term, a vacancy exists 
for an at-large (public interest) representative. Upon appointment by 
the Chairman, the new representative will serve for three years and may 
be eligible to serve a second three-year term following the end of his 
or her first term.
    Suggestions for candidates to fill this vacancy should be submitted 
in letter form, identify the name of the candidate, provide a summary 
of why the candidate is qualified to serve on RSTAC, and contain a 
representation that the candidate is willing to serve as a member of 
RSTAC effective immediately upon appointment. RSTAC candidate 
suggestions should be filed with the Board by June 29, 2017. Members 
selected to serve on RSTAC are chosen at the discretion of the Board's 
Chairman. Please note that submissions will be available to the public 
at the Board's offices and posted on the Board's Web site under Docket 
No. EP 526 (Sub-No. 9).

    Authority:  49 U.S.C. 1325.

    Decided: May 30, 2017.

    By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Kenyatta Clay,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2017-11426 Filed 6-1-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4915-01-P