The Board Adopts a Final Rule Amending the Thresholds for Classifying Rail Carriers
In a decision served on April 5, 2021, the Surface Transportation Board (Board) adopted a final rule amending the thresholds for classifying rail carriers. Mont. Rail Link, Inc.—Pet. for Rulemaking—Classification of Carriers, EP 763 (STB served April 5, 2021). Under 49 C.F.R. Part 1201, rail carriers are grouped into one of three classes for purposes of accounting and reporting. Id., slip op. at 1. This classification affects the degree to which rail carriers must file annual, quarterly, and other operational reports, and it is used in various other contexts, including differentiating the legal standards and procedures that apply to certain transactions subject to Board licensing, and prescribing labor protection conditions. Id.