Sec. 9007. STUDY OF RAIL TRANSPORTATION AND REGULATION

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## SEC. 9007 STUDY OF RAIL TRANSPORTATION AND REGULATION ###

(a)Requirement Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall enter into an arrangement with the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a comprehensive study of the Nation's railroad transportation system since the enactment of the Staggers Rail Act of 1980. The study shall address and make recommendations on— ####

(1)the performance of the Nation's major railroads regarding service levels, service quality, and rates; ####

(2)the projected demand for freight transportation over the next two decades and the constraints limiting the railroads' ability to meet that demand; ####

(3)the effectiveness of public policy in balancing the need for railroads to earn adequate returns with those of shippers for reasonable rates and adequate service; and ####

(4)the future role of the Surface Transportation Board in regulating railroad rates, service levels, and the railroads' common carrier obligations, particularly as railroads may become revenue adequate. ###

(b)Report to Congress Not later than 1 year after the Secretary and the Transportation Research Board enter into the arrangement for the study, the Secretary shall transmit the results of the study conducted under subsection

(a)to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. ###

(c)Authorization of Appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2006 and $800,000 for fiscal year 2007 to carry out this section. Such sums are to remain available until expended.