By Charles Pekow — Railbanking law—which has converted more than 4,250 miles of abandoned railroad into trails—is under fire in Congress. Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) has introduced the Rails to Trails Landowner Rights Act (H.R. 4924), a measure that could significantly weaken the 42-year-old National Trails System Act Amendments by granting adjacent landowners veto power over rail-to-trail conversions.
The bill would also require the Surface Transportation Board to propose federal trail maintenance standards and establish an advisory committee to recommend those standards.
Perhaps the most prominent example of railbanking is Missouri’s Katy Trail, the nation’s longest rail-trail, which runs across much of Graves’ home state. Five Republicans have cosponsored the bill, including two other Missourians and Rep. Harriet Hageman (WY).
The legislation has been referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Read the bill at: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4924/all-actions
