Our expectations for a new regulatory policy from the Trump Administration are quickly taking shape. The White House wasted no time kicking off changes to our regulatory environment and compliance enforcement posture....more
Welcome to your monthly rundown of all things administrative law, where we highlight all the happenings you may have missed....more
The Department of Transportation’s operating agencies have announced their random drug and alcohol testing rates for 2025. The rates are the same as 2024, except that PHMSA has increased its random drug testing rate to 50%....more
Welcome to Industrials Regulatory News and Trends. In this regular bulletin, DLA Piper lawyers provide concise updates on key developments in the industrials sector to help you navigate the ever-changing business, legal, and...more
In the year since the East Palestine train derailment, rail safety has been a hot button issue in the United States. After the East Palestine derailment dominated news headlines in late February and March of 2023, there...more
Welcome to The On-Ramp, the newsletter from Venable's Autonomous and Connected Mobility team. The On-Ramp explores legal and policy developments in the world of autonomous vehicles, smart infrastructure, and emerging mobility...more
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the federal agency that regulates rail safety, introduced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on July 28, 2022, that addresses the number of employees required to operate a train,...more
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, H.R. 3684 (117), was signed into law by President Biden on November 15, 2021. In addition to $66 billion in funding for passenger and freight railroads, the law contains a number...more
New regulations took effect last month governing the federal environmental review process for highway, public transit and some railroad projects. This update highlights 10 important changes in the new regulations, as well as...more
As described in previous blog posts on May 7, 2018 and March 13, 2018, regulatory changes are needed before liquefied natural gas (LNG) can be transported by rail tanker cars under applicable Hazardous Materials and Carriage...more
The Federal Railroad Administration (“FRA”) has released its latest Positive Train Control (“PTC”) implementation progress report for the 2nd quarter of 2018. The FRA’s latest report indicates that railroads are making steady...more
On May 7, 2018, the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) finally responded to the Petition for Rulemaking filed by the Association of American Railroads (AAR). As...more
• The Supreme Court declines to review a lower court ruling that the Surface Transportation Board cannot assume regulatory authority that Congress unconstitutionally delegated to the Federal Railroad Administration and...more
On November 16, 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit determined that claims arising from the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act (“ICCTA”) can be litigated in the federal courts or at the...more
President Trump recently appointed former Seyfarth Shaw LLP (“Seyfarth”) attorney Juan D. Reyes, III as Chief Counsel of the Federal Railroad Administration (“FRA”). Mr. Reyes was previously a partner in the real estate...more
Eligible transportation projects in need of funding now have the opportunity to access roughly $2 billion in previously earmarked federal transportation under recently released guidance from the U.S. Department of...more
Two Week Highway Trust Fund Extension While Conference Takes Place - Congress agreed to extend the Highway Trust Fund by two weeks until Dec. 4 so that House and Senate conferees could meet to craft a final version of...more