Cramer Applauds Canadian Government's Decision to no Renew Minimum Grain Rail Shipments

Statement

Today Congressman Kevin Cramer made the following statement after the Canadian Government's decision to not renew minimum weekly grain volume requirements for railroad companies while announcing BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) have publicly filed updated weekly grain backlog status updates as required by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB). A summary of the reporting data specific to North Dakota is below.

"When I met with Canadian Ambassador Gary Doer and Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Greg Rickford in my office in January, I made it very clear I hoped the Canadian Government would not renew these grain shipping requirements. I am glad they were allowed to expire on March 28, 2015. I continue to believe their rail shipping mandate constituted a clear violation of the non-discrimination and fair trade principles laid out by the World Trade Organization. The requirements gave Canadian producers an unfair advantage as well as contributed to the grain car backlog experienced by North Dakota's producers. I will continue to watch this situation closely to ensure the Canadian government doesn't impose these minimum shipping requirements in the future," said Cramer.

Source