President Donald Trump has shifted Ann Begeman out of the acting chair role at the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to become chair.
She was designated to acting STB chair by the president on Jan. 23, 2017. Since May 2011, Begeman has served for various periods as the STB’s vice chair.
Begeman is currently serving her second, five-year term as a board member, which expires on Dec. 31, 2020.
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) applauded Trump’s appointment of Begeman to STB chair.
“Our industry appreciates the deep knowledge and experience that Chair Begeman brings to the job – particularly her understanding of the necessary balance that the STB’s economic regulatory framework must strike between the ability of the industry to earn the revenues it needs to maintain a complex and increasingly technological network, while providing appropriate regulatory protections for rail shippers that spur the U.S. economy,” said Edward R. Hamberger, AAR’s president and CEO, in a statement.
Hamberger said the AAR is “eager for the Senate Commerce Committee to act on the recent nominations of Patrick Fuchs and Michelle Schultz to the board, as well as a forthcoming Democratic nominee, so that the board can reap the benefits of a full complement of members and ultimately chart a path of sensible, deregulatory policies.”