Passenger Trains > Pushback to Corridor Joe's Amtrak Board appointments

Pushback to Biden’s picks for Amtrak board: Not diverse enough

High Speed Rail Alliance
May 06, 2022



The Biden administration’s five nominees for Amtrak’s board of directors are provoking strong pushback due to their lack of geographic diversity.

Just one of the five—Chris Koos, the mayor of Normal, Illinois—lives outside of the mid-Atlantic region, which is served by Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC) trains. The heavy concentration of nominees from the NEC runs counter to Congress’s reform to the Amtrak Board of Directors in the 2021 infrastructure bill. It requires the board to have at least two members representing each of three constituencies: the NEC, state-supported routes, and long-distance routes.

That change was part of a set of reforms designed to reinforce Amtrak’s commitment to long-distance routes and to rural communities. For example, Amtrak’s mission statement was tweaked to include the goal of meeting “the intercity passenger rail needs of the United States.” Putting long-distance passengers on equal footing with commuter passengers—who are heavily concentrated in the NEC—“may be one of the most significant developments in the entire bill,” Railway Age noted.

Biden’s slate of nominees fails to honor that reform. As a statement from the Rail Passengers Association observed, “Amtrak’s trains run throughout the U.S. Southeast, the Southwest, our northern border with Canada, and the Pacific Coast. Where are the nominees who will serve as the voice of the passengers from these regions, which include some of the fastest growing communities in the nation?”

https://hsrail.org/blog/pushback-bidens-picks-amtrak-board-not-diverse-enough

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I'd rather see the effort concentrated to focus on rejecting Coscia, rather than 4 of the 5. 

Coscia  has to GO!

Geographical diversity was undoubtedly Congress's intent, but the statute was poorly drafted. 

The entire Board could reside in New York, Mass., or Pennsylvania, and still meet the requirement. "Geographically distributed outside of the NEC" and "in or near regions" is very vague.

Text follows for reference.

(C)8 individuals appointed by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, with general business and financial experience, experience or qualifications in transportation, freight and passenger rail transportation, travel, hospitality, cruise line, or passenger air transportation businesses, or representatives of employees or users of passenger rail transportation or a State government, at least 1 of whom shall be an individual with a disability (as defined in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102)) who has a demonstrated history of, or experience with, accessibility, mobility, and inclusive transportation in passenger rail or commuter rail. (4)Of the individuals appointed pursuant to paragraph (1)(C)—

(A)2 individuals shall reside in or near a location served by a regularly scheduled Amtrak service along the Northeast Corridor;

 (B)4 individuals shall reside in or near regions of the United States that are geographically distributed outside of the Northeast Corridor, of whom—

(i)2 individuals shall reside in States served by a long-distance route operated by Amtrak;

(ii)2 individuals shall reside in States served by a State-supported route operated by Amtrak; and

(iii)an individual who resides in a State that is served by a State-supported route and a long-distance route may be appointed to serve either position referred to in clauses (i) and (ii);

(C)2 individuals shall reside either—(i)in or near a location served by a regularly scheduled Amtrak service on the Northeast Corridor; or

(ii)in a State served by long-distance or a State-supported route; and

(D)each individual appointed to the Board pursuant to this paragraph may only fill 1 of the allocations set forth in subparagraphs (A) through (C).

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

Dcmcrider Wrote:
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> Geographical diversity was undoubtedly Congress's
> intent, but the statute was poorly drafted. 
>
I wonder. Perhaps the wording was brilliantly drafted to provide the public impression that it requires geographic diversity while permitting exactly the slate that has been advanced. We're "shocked, shocked" that someone from Pennsylvania can be nominated to represent the interests of Montana.  That may be exactly what they meant to permit.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/22 06:15 by prr60.

prr60 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dcmcrider Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Geographical diversity was undoubtedly
> Congress's
> > intent, but the statute was poorly drafted. 
> >
> I wonder. Perhaps the wording was brilliantly
> drafted to provide the public impression that it
> requires geographic diversity while permitting
> exactly the slate that has been advanced. We're
> "shocked, shocked" that someone from Pennsylvania
> can be nominated to represent the interests of
> Montana.  That may be exactly what they meant to
> permit.

I have a feeling we'll find out what key Senators think about all this during confirmation hearings for Coscia, et al.

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

Oh brother, I bet this is gonna drag for who knows how long since you all know what Amtrak's current leadership's mission is, dismantle the LD Network!