Washington Update

On January 12th, the Senate confirmed Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) nominee Amit Bose to lead the agency in a bipartisan vote. Bose has been acting as the agency's administrator while serving as Deputy Administrator and awaiting a confirmation vote. Once his confirmation was official, REMSA released the following statement:

“REMSA congratulates Amit Bose on his bipartisan confirmation by the US Senate this afternoon to be FRA Administrator. His experience with rail projects and at multiple levels of government will benefit the administration and its stakeholders. We look forward to working with him and the FRA on issues that impact rail suppliers and the maintenance-of-way industry."

Also this month, Democratic nominee for the Surface Transportation Board Karen Hedlund was confirmed by the Senate via unanimous consent, succeeding board member Ann Begeman, whose second term expired in 2020 but was able to remain in place for up to one year until her replacement was confirmed.

The Supreme Court struck down OSHA's vaccine mandate for employers with more than 100 employees on January 13th in a 6-3 ruling, noting that the labor secretary lacked the authority for such a broad requirement.

The Department of Transportation has released its Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the RAISE grants program and intends to provide full details about the opportunity by January 30th. Interested applicants can check their website at www.transportation.gov/RAISEgrants for updates.

If you are interested in learning more about REMSA's government affairs efforts, please reach out to Cooper Ehrendreich at ehrendreich@remsa.org.

Congratulations to Harsco Rail's Brandon Negri, winner of the 2021 REMSA Continuing Education Scholarship of $10,000!

Through the Continuing Education Scholarship Program, REMSA seeks to positively impact the future of the rail construction and maintenance industry by supporting our member employees' education. The scholarship is available to employees of REMSA member companies who are pursuing additional education that would allow them to work successfully and grow within the rail construction and maintenance industry.

How did you get started in the rail industry?

My older brother, Matt, was one of the first employees of Protran Technology when the company was started. The summer before my last year of undergrad (2015) he helped me get an engineering internship with Protran and I have been with the company ever since.

How did you first hear about REMSA’s continuing education scholarship?

My manager knew that I had just stared my graduate program in 2020 and forwarded me the email with the scholarship information REMSA. 

What made you decide to pursue your current program at the Kelley School of Business?

My goal has always been to be an executive at a company. I knew that to get there, my easiest path was to continue my education and get an MBA. After a few classes, I realized how much I enjoy analytics and how important they will be in the future, so I decided to dual major and get a Master's in Business Analytics along with my MBA. I chose the Kelley School because it is the #1 rated online program in the country

What will the continuing education scholarship allow you to study?

The continuing education scholarship has allowed me to continue pursing my MBA and MSBA (Master of Science in Business Analytics) at the Kelley School of Business. The Kelley School offers many opportunities, including Global Immersion. With the help from this scholarship, I should be able to participate in one of these programs this summer and travel to Ireland or Greece and work with global companies in those countries and gain experience in international affairs. 

What’s something you’ve learned during your time in the rail industry?

Something I've learned during my time in the rail industry is to always have a backup plan. Whether it’s because your track rights got canceled, the vehicle you need isn’t available, or something more pressing came up, things usually aren’t going to go as you planned and you’re going to have to improvise and make things work.

Brian Jeansonne of Willamette Valley Company shows their facility to Emma Herrock, District Director for Rep. Julia Letlow (LA-5)

REMSA welcomes new member Comet Industries

Comet Industries is a 3^rd generation family owned and operated company in Kansas City, MO. They are one of world’s largest AEI (Automatic Equipment Identification) distributors. Additionally, they offer the industry an extensive line of new and reconditioned locomotive and freight car parts.