WASHINGTON, DC – President Joe Biden designated Robert Primus as chair of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) effective Saturday, May 11, following the retirement of Martin Oberman, who had served as the agency’s head since January 21, 2021.
USA Rice joined more than 20 agriculture groups in a
May 10 letter to President Biden expressing support for Primus’ designation as STB Chair, highlighting his “exemplary commitment and dedication to the principles of proactive oversight in STB’s regulation of the freight rail marketplace.”
Primus has served on the STB since January 2021, which included a stint as vice chair from February 2021 to February 2022. He has met with USA Rice members on two occasions, once during a fly-in last spring and, earlier this month at another member fly-in. Primus also was featured on
Episode 74 of
The Rice Stuff podcast talking about what the STB can do to help improve shipping rice by rail.
“USA Rice congratulates Mr. Primus on his appointment as chair of the Surface Transportation Board,” said Keith Glover, an Arkansas rice miller and past chair of the USA Rice Millers' Association. “As rice shippers continue to experience issues with rail service, including equipment shortages and other challenges, we look forward to sustained engagement with Chairman Primus and the other STB members for relief to the rail shipping woes negatively impacting the U.S. rice industry.”
The STB is an independent federal agency responsible for the economic regulation of various modes of surface transportation, with a primary focus on freight rail. The STB has authority over railroad rate, practice, service issues, and rail restructuring transactions, as well as certain passenger rail matters, non-energy pipelines, household goods carriers’ tariffs, and rate regulation of non-contiguous domestic water transportation. The STB is composed of five board members, one of whom serves as the chair.