{
"type": "rich",
"version": "1.0",
"provider_name": "Action Network",
"provider_url": "https://actionnetwork.org",
"html": "",
"author_name": "Solutionary Rail",
"author_url": "https://actionnetwork.org/groups/solutionary-rail",
"title": "Preserve the Legitimacy of the STB",
"thumbnail_url": "https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/423/730/normal/Robert_E._Primus__STB_Member.jpg",
"description": "Standing up for the independence of the Surface Transportation Board, as Board member Robert Primus' lawsuit is attempting to do, is not only appropriate, it is necessary. In Primus' words: Section 11 of the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 requires the President to provide cause - inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance - when removing a member from the Surface Transportation Board. That is the law, upheld and observed by twenty-three presidents, twelve Republicans and eleven Democrats, since enacted 138 years ago. To date, no such cause was provided by the Trump Administration to justify my removal. Not only is this wrong, but it is extremely dangerous. It jeopardizes the future independence and impartiality of the Board and threatens the economic balance needed to keep our national freight rail network functioning properly. Without a healthy and stable rail network, a reliable and efficient supply chain cannot exist. A dysfunctional supply chain, in turn, prevents the nation’s economy from achieving its full potential. Members today, and in the future, must have the autonomy to review matters that come before the Board without political or partisan pressure. The facts and statutes related to each docket should be the only influence guiding members. Railroads, shippers and the labor force that comprise our rail network depend on this impartiality, and so does the nation’s economy and the American consumer that powers it. My lawsuit is not only appropriate but necessary. It's time to contact our Senators - including those on the Committee for Commerce, Science and Transportation - and tell them they must preserve the legitimacy of the Surface Transportation Board. They must demand a pause of the Board's proceedings until its independence is re-confirmed by the reinstatement of Robert Primus to his rightful position on the board.",
"url": "https://actionnetwork.org/letters/reinstateprimus"
}