90 STAT. 58
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^ Ante, p. 31.
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PUBLIC LAW 94-210—FEB. 5, 1976 Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, classification, and General Schedule pay rates, at a rate not in excess of the maximum rate for GS-18 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of such title. The Director of the Office shall administer and be responsible for the discharge of the functions and duties of the Office from the date he takes office unless removed for cause by the Commission. "(c) POWERS.—The Director of the Office is subject to the direction of, and shall report to, such member of the Commission as the Chairman thereof shall designate. The Chairman may designate himself as that member. Such Director is authorized, with the concurrence of such member or (in case of disagreement) the Chairman of the Commission, to enter into, without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes of the United States (41 U.S.C. 5) such contracts, leases, cooperative agreements, or other transactions as may be necessary in the conduct of the functions and duties of the Office with any person (including a government entity). Each department, agency, and instrumentality of the executive branch of the Federal Government and each independent regulatory agency of the United States is authorized, and shall give careful consideration to a request, to furnish to the Director of the Office, upon written request, on a reimbursable basis or otherwise, such assistance as the Director deems necessary to carry out the functions and duties of the Office. Such assistance includes transfer of personnel with their consent and without prejudice to their position and rating. "(d) DUTIES.—In addition to its duties and responsibilities under other provisions of this Act and under the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976, the Office shall— "(1) assist the Commission in studying and evaluating any proposal, submitted to the Commission pursuant to section 5(2) or (3) of the Interstate Commerce Act (49 U.S.C. 5 (2) or (3)), for a merger, consolidation, unification or coordination project, joint use of tracks or other facilities, or acquisition or sale of assets, which involves any common carrier by railroad subject to part I of such Act; "(2) assist the Commission in developing, with respect to economic regulation of transportation, policies which are likely to result in a more competitive, energy-efficient, and coordinated transportation system which utilizes each mode of transportation to its maximum advantage to meet the transportation service needs of the Nation; "(3) assist States and local and regional transportation agencies in making determinations whether to provide rail service continuation subsidies to maintain in operation particular rail properties, by establishing criteria for determining whether particular rail properties are suitable for rail service continuation subsidies, with such criteria to include the following considerations: rail properties are suitable if the cost of the required subsidy for such properties per year to the taxpayers is less than (A) the cost of termination of rail service over such properties measured by increased fuel consumption and operational costs for alternative modes of transportation, (B) the cost to the gross national product in terms of reduced output of goods and services, (C) the cost of relocating or assisting through unemployment, retraining, and welfare benefits to individuals and firms adversely affected thereby, and (D) the cost to the environment measured by damage caused by increased pollution; "(4) conduct an ongoing analysis of the national rail transportation needs, evaluate the policies, plans, and programs of the
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