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[quote user="greyhounds"] [quote user="JSGreen"]Here are the slides (but not the text) of the<A href="http://www.bnsf.com/media/speeches/pdf/kaufman_stb_presentation.pdf"> BNSF comments </A>at the STB hearing... Page 15 says that BNSF rail rates to Montana Grain Farmers have inceased by only 16% (since 1981!) Page 16 says that if Rail rates had kept up with inflation, they would have more than doubled, not increased only 16%.  (Note that this is the rate for 52 cars of Grain, not singles.) PAge 17 shows cost per bushel has decreastd 11%(since 2004), and that single car rates is now the same as 26's.  Page 20 shows Canadian producers have lower rates, but does not offer an explanation of why this might be.  (this link only shows the slides, but not the text of his presentation). [/quote] I'm going to dispute your interpritation of page 20.  I believe it shows the revenue Canadian wheat producers receive for their grain, not their freight charges.  They receive less for their wheat than US producers do.  Must be that gosh danged CPR. I don't see how any reasonable person could look at this presentation and not say that the BNSF has done well by way of the Montana wheat farmers over the past 25 years.  They've certainly kept their costs and rates down. I see this whole issue as a political horse for Montana Democrats to ride.  (It's been a really good horse.)  They created a typical 6V story line with: 1) a Victim (the Montana wheat farmers) 2) a Villan (the "Railroad Barrons" -exact words of Montana's governor - who live in Texas) 3) a Vindicator (the Democrats fighting the evil on behalf of the farmers) 4) a Value (belief in the family farm - obsolete though it may be - and in 'fairness') 5) a Void (the general publics' lack of knowledge about railroads, economics, and the actual facts.) 6) a Vehicle to deliver the message (the media, such as the Great Falls Tribune, which toes the party line on the story.) The truth doesn't matter.  It doesn't fit the 6V story line.  The fact that the BNSF has done a fantastic job keeping the cost of moving Montana wheat down, and put money in the farmers' pockets by doing so,  just doesn't make the paper. [/quote] So wrong on so many levels..... FYI - Conrad Burns, Republican, was the lead voice for ameliorating BNSF's rate gouging.  (Yes, rate gouging, BNSF's fairy tale presentation notwithstanding - read the real stats:  <A href="http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml">http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml</A>   ....hurry, the Railway Age news page changes every week!) Now Montanans have voted out the leading crusader against their captive rail situation.  Go figure.  Not only that, but the election of Tester over Burns was the one critical Senatorial race that put the Dems in charge of the US Senate, and thus putting California Senator Barbara Boxer (gag!) in charge of the Senate Environmental committee.  What does that mean for Montana?  Well, BB has pledged to put an end to more coal fired power plants (along with a carbon dioxide tax, bans on domestic oil exploration, etc), meaning Montana's economy is basically screwed, probably forever.  So Schwietzer's goal of developing Montana's coal resources to produce synthetic diesel is now dead in the water. Nice going Montana, you really ****** yourselves now.  Hope you enjoy your new tourism based economy, 'cause my friends that's all you got now![D)][*^_^*][xx(]
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