The head of the American Association of Railroads is urging the U.S. Surface Transportation Board halt all rulemaking until President-elect Donald Trump has a chance to seat new board members.

In a statement issued Thursday, AAR CEO Ed Hamberger said the board should defer decisions on "a handful of widely panned proposals," including a "forced access" rule that would give shippers access to railroads they usually cannot use. AAR's members oppose the rule.

Hamberger said his association's request is similar to the one Democratic lawmakers made concerning the Federal Communications Commission when President Barack Obama was first elected in 2008.

"The policy landscape in Washington, D.C., dramatically shifted on Election Day, and as such, the freight rail industry believes the STB should suspend its misguided quest to re-regulate freight rail," he said. "Now is not the time for midnight regulations, let alone the enactment of the unfounded proposals currently arising from the STB that will surely fail to meet the rigorous examination promised by future leaders."

Congress reauthorized STB in 2015, expanding the body from three members to five. Trump will nominate three new members next year, who are subject to U.S. Senate confirmation. http://bit.ly/2flp7K6

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