Information on Regulatory Reform Under the Staggers Rail Act of 1980
RCED-83-174: Published: Aug 17, 1983. Publicly Released: Aug 17, 1983.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
GAO developed information on selected aspects of the effects of the Staggers Rail Act of 1980 on shippers and railroads. Specifically, GAO reviewed the Interstate Commerce Commission's (ICC) revenue adequacy determinations as an indication of the railroads' financial condition, shippers' concerns about regulatory reform, and ICC actions to resolve shipper protests over railroad rate and service changes since the act.
The Staggers Rail Act reduced ICC regulation of the railroad industry and was intended to improve the industry's poor financial condition by allowing railroads more freedom in establishing rates and providing services. In the first year after the act, railroad financial performance generally improved while, during the second year, performance generally declined. ICC stated that evaluating the railroads' financial condition will be difficult until the economy improves. However, an industry spokesman stated that the flexibility of the act has already helped to minimize the effects of a weak economy. Selected shippers which GAO surveyed were dissatisfied with the ICC implementation of the act, citing such concerns as a lack of protection for shippers without access to more than one railroad and reduced competition among the railroads. The number of shippers protesting unreasonable, proposed railroad rate changes to ICC has decreased since the act's passage, but the decline does not necessarily imply satisfaction with regulatory reform.
Mar 2, 2021
-
High-Risk Series:
Dedicated Leadership Needed to Address Limited Progress in Most High-Risk AreasGAO-21-119SP: Published: Mar 2, 2021. Publicly Released: Mar 2, 2021. -
High-Risk Series:
Dedicated Leadership Needed to Address Limited Progress in Most High-Risk AreasGAO-21-383T: Published: Mar 2, 2021. Publicly Released: Mar 2, 2021. -
High-Risk Series:
Dedicated Leadership Needed to Address Limited Progress in Most High-Risk AreasGAO-21-384T: Published: Mar 2, 2021. Publicly Released: Mar 2, 2021.
Feb 3, 2021
-
Fixed-Price-Incentive Contracts:
DOD Has Increased Their Use but Should Assess Contributions to OutcomesGAO-21-181: Published: Feb 3, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 3, 2021.
Jan 29, 2021
-
Federal Real Property:
Additional Documentation of Decision Making Could Improve Transparency of New Disposal ProcessGAO-21-233: Published: Jan 29, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 29, 2021.
Jan 19, 2021
-
Federal Rulemaking:
Selected EPA and HHS Regulatory Analyses Met Several Best Practices, but CMS Should Take Steps to Strengthen Its AnalysesGAO-21-151: Published: Dec 17, 2020. Publicly Released: Jan 19, 2021.
Jan 13, 2021
-
Department of Energy Contracting:
Improvements Needed to Ensure DOE Assesses Its Full Range of Contracting Fraud RisksGAO-21-44: Published: Jan 13, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 13, 2021.
Dec 16, 2020
-
Data Governance:
Agencies Made Progress in Establishing Governance, but Need to Address Key MilestonesGAO-21-152: Published: Dec 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 16, 2020.
Dec 9, 2020
-
2020 Census:
The Bureau Concluded Field Work but Uncertainty about Data Quality, Accuracy, and Protection RemainsGAO-21-206R: Published: Dec 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 9, 2020.
Dec 3, 2020
-
2020 Census:
Census Bureau Needs to Assess Data Quality Concerns Stemming from Recent Design ChangesGAO-21-142: Published: Dec 3, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 3, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here