94 STAT. 1922
Variable costs and revenues, determination.
Investigation.
Rescinding order.
PUBLIC LAW 96-448—OCT. 14, 1980
without regard to amount received and services performed by other rail carriers that are party to such joint rate. "(3) Except as provided in subsection (i), (j), or (k) of this section, if the appHcation of a surcharge or the cancellation of the application of a joint rate under this section is found to constitute a violation of any provision of this title, such violation shall not be ordered remedied in any manner which— "(A) requires the carrier applying a surcharge under subsection (a) of this section or canceling the application of a joint rate under subsection (c) of this section to provide service over any rate under a rate that provides revenues to such carrier that are less than 110 percent of its variable costs of providing such service; or "(B) which requires the carrier applying a surcharge under subsection 0^) of this section to provide service over the route to which such surcharge applies in a manner that provides revenues to such carrier that are less than 110 percent of such carrier's variable cost of transporting the traffic involved to or from the line to which the surcharge applies, plus such carrier's reasonably expected costs of providing service over such line. "(h) Within 5 days after the request of a rail carrier participating in a joint rate subject to a surcharge or cancellation under this section, a shipper moving traffic over a route to which such surcharge or cancellation applies, or an affected port, the Commission shall make available to such carrier, shipper, or port the Commission's determination of the variable costs and revenues, over the route or routes to which the surcharge or cancellation applies, of the carrier applying the surcharge or canceling the application of the joint rate. "(i)(l) Whenever a class III rail carrier, in a protest filed with the Commission, makes a prima facie showing that the application of a surcharge under subsection (a) of this section or the cancellation of the application of a joint rate under subsection (c) of this section will have an adverse effect on competition, the Commission shall investigate such protest. If, on the basis of such investigation, the Commission finds that the protested surcharge or cancellation is or is intended to be anticompetitive, the Commission shall, within 30 days after the date such protest is filed, enter an order rescinding such surcharge or cancellation, and may, on presentation of an adequate record, prescribe new joint rates or divisions of joint rates. "(2) No order prescribed under this subsection shall require a carrier to provide service over any route under a rate which provides revenues less than 110 percent of the variable cost of providing such service unless the Commission determines that the public interest requires a lesser revenue to variable cost ratio to avoid anticompetitive action and to preserve service on the route involved. "(j)(l) Any class III rail carrier which originates or terminates traffic subject to the application of a surcharge under subsection (a) of this section or the cancellation of the application of a joint rate under subsection (c) of this section may protest such surcharge or cancellation whenever— "(A) such surcharge or cancellation affects the sole remaining route available to that carrier for that traffic; and "(B)(i) such carrier demonstrates that alternative transportation is available or that a shipper dependent on that carrier will suffer significant market loss because of such surcharge or cancellation; or "(ii) such surcharge or cancellation, alone or when considered in conjunction with other surcharges or cancellations affecting
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