Where It Stands
UPDATE: On Christmas Eve, December 24, 2008, the Surface Transportation Board issued a final ruling, approving Canadian National’s purchase of the EJ&E Railway.
Read the transcript of the decision | Read the latest news
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board expects to decide by January 31, 2009-and possibly sooner-whether to approve the application (click here to see the application) of the CN Railway to purchase the EJ&E Railway.The board is now focused on reviewing the record of testimony from several public hearings, the draft environmental impact statement (read it here) and whether the CN’s application meets the federal criteria for rail mergers. Attempts by opponents to legislatively tighten up the merger criteria failed to pass in the U.S. House.The board rejected the CN’s request to expedite the review process, prompting the railway to sue to ask the courts to force a decision by December 1, 2008. Attempts by opponents to tighten merger rules legislatively failed to pass Congress, meanwhile.The CN went to court to force the board to render a decision by December 1, 2008, but the case is still pending. The board earlier rejected CN’s request to expedite the process.
As December drew to a close, a number of communities were making mitigation deals with CN.
