Biden Will Push an Executive Order on Railroad and Shipping Consolidation
President Biden plans to sign an executive order to increase competition and combat aggressive pricing for railroads and in the shipping industry, a source familiar told The Hill.
The order would ask the Surface Transportation Board to look into long-standing measures like so-called “competitive switching rules,” which require a monopoly railway to grant access to its railroad under certain conditions. It would also urge the board to make it easier for shippers to challenge inflated rates when there is no competition between two routes.
The order would urge the Federal Maritime Commission to work with the Justice Department to investigate and punish anticompetitive practices. The agency and Justice Department are planning to sign a new memorandum to enhance cooperation between the two “shortly,” according to the source.
