SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Farmers and ranchers are in Washington D-C meeting with the chairman of the Surface Transportation Board about a critical backlog of rail cars.
South Dakota Farmers Union President Doug Sombke says railroads are responding at a snail’s pace. Sombke says the Canadian Pacific and BNSF are working to ease the backlog but he says they're barely making a dent in the problem.
Meanwhile, Sombke says, the North Dakota oil industry has no backlog of rail cars. He says legislation that Senator John Thune has introduced would give the Suface Transporation Board more power to get the railroads to respond. But Sombke doesn't know if the bill will pass both chambers. Member of the Farmer’s Union are participating in the annual Fly-In to Washington D-C.