§ 143B-361. Findings.
Part 9. North Carolina Rail Council.
§ 143B‑361. Findings.
The General Assembly finds that:
(1) The rail system in North Carolina is an irreplaceabletransportation resource;
(2) The promotion and preservation of railroads operating withinNorth Carolina as transportation resources and economic development tools isvital to the State's economy, and the continued economic viability of railroadsis a necessary part of the free enterprise system;
(3) A healthy rail system is vital to a competitive State economy,and railroads must be allowed, through effective public policy, to competefairly in the transportation marketplace and to provide those transportationservices for which rail is suitable;
(4) The preservation of rail corridors, through branch line rehabilitationand State acquisition of strategic corridors, is in the public interest and isan integral and necessary part of a balanced transportation system; and
(5) As the owner of the majority interest in the North CarolinaRailroad Company, the State has a vested interest in the preservation,development, and well‑being of the North Carolina Railroad. (1993, c. 483, s. 1.)