Dorgan Calls For More Competitive Rail Industry, Disaster Aid For Family Farmers And Ranchers

DORGAN CALLS FOR MORE COMPETITIVE RAIL INDUSTRY, DISASTER AID FOR FAMILY FARMERS AND RANCHERS

U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) said Monday he'll push the new Democratic-controlled Congress to protect family farmers and ranchers by taking action to increase competition in the rail industry and approve assistance for those hit by weather-related disasters.

Dorgan, addressing the North Dakota Grain Dealers Association Convention, said he is hopeful that prospects have improved with the new Congress for his legislation, the Railroad Competition Act, which would encourage competition in the railroad industry and protect customers from exorbitant rates charged by rail monopolies.

"The railroads have a pretty good thing going. They have monopoly power in their industry and the Surface Transportation Board, which was supposedly created to protect rail customers, instead seems to be more concerned with making sure the railroads don't have to compete with one another," Dorgan said. "It's the family farmers and other rail customers who ultimately pay the price, and I'm going to keep pushing to reform this system."

"More and more industries are joining the fight for fair rail rates," he said. "The utility companies, chemical companies, energy companies and many others are concerned about unreasonable freight rates and lack of competition and they want something done about it. I think we are finally going to make some progress on this issue in this Congress."

Dorgan said he, along with Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Congressman Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) will continue pushing for disaster relief for family farmers and ranchers who were hit by weather-related disasters in 2005 and 2006. He said he'll also press Congress to approve legislation he authored that would re-establish a permanent disaster aid program.

"Our family farmers and ranchers have been hit hard by floods, torrential rain and drought over the last two years, and we won't stop pushing until the President understands he needs to stop blocking disaster relief," Dorgan said. "But in the long term, we need to bring back a permanent disaster program so our producers don't have to rely on the whim of the White House to know whether they'll be able to stay on the farm when disaster strikes."

http://dorgan.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=267555