WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley this week raised concerns about the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger, pointing to opposition from the Iowa Farm Bureau because of its negative impact on agriculture.
“I would expect the Surface Transportation Board to consider issues like competition,” Grassley told Radio Iowa. “Obviously, being an agricultural state, we want to make sure that there’s no service impact.”
Grassley added:
“Evidently, such a merger is not considered a good thing for agriculture. I don’t want to say that I’ve made up my mind on that, but I am a member of the Iowa Farm Bureau and the Iowa Farm Bureau thinks the merger would be bad for agriculture.”
Grassley also said the Surface Transportation Board is right to seek more information.
“They’re entitled to the additional information that they’ve asked for, and they’ve asked for that to be delivered before the end of July because they ought to have all the information they need.”