Vitter, Senators Renew Efforts to Promote Fairness and Competition in Railroad Industry

Press Release

U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.) has joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) in reintroducing bipartisan legislation to remove the railroad industry's obsolete exemption from antitrust laws, which will promote fairness and competition in the railroad industry.

"Louisiana's businesses face steep railroad service challenges and inflated rates that have a direct impact on jobs and costs for consumers across the state and the country," said Vitter. "We need to reform our railroad system to encourage more competition and provide relief to consumers."

"Companies both large and small depend on rail to ship their products, and it is simply unfair that they have to pay higher prices because railroads are exempt from antitrust laws," said Klobuchar. "By requiring that the railroad industry plays by the same antitrust rules as everyone else, this commonsense bill will help inject much-needed competition into the industry, bring costs down for businesses, and keep our economy on the right track."

Currently only four Class I railroads provide more than 90 percent of the nation's rail transportation. This market dominance results in railroad companies being able to increase rail rates for companies that rely on freight railroads to get their goods to market and ultimately leads to higher prices for consumers. Making the railroad industry play by the same antitrust rules as other industries will result in more competitive pricing that will help keep costs down for shippers and customers.

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