(a) Opt-in procedures. Any rail carrier, shipper, or other party eligible to bring or defend disputes before the Board may at any time voluntarily choose to opt into the Board's arbitration program. Opting in may be for a particular dispute or for all potential disputes before the Board unless and until the party exercises the opt-out procedures discussed in § 1108.3(b). To opt in parties may:

(1) File a notice with the Board, under Docket No. EP 699, advising the Board of the party's intent to participate in the arbitration program. Such notice may be filed at any time and shall be effective upon receipt by the Board.

(i) Notices filed with the Board shall state which arbitration-program-eligible issue(s) the party is willing to submit to arbitration.

(ii) Notices may, at the submitting party's discretion, provide for a lower monetary award cap than the monetary award caps provided in this subpart.

(2) Participants to a proceeding, where one or both parties have not opted into the arbitration program, may by joint notice agree to submit an issue in dispute to the Board's arbitration program. The joint notice must clearly state the issue(s) which the parties are willing to submit to arbitration and the corresponding maximum monetary award cap if the parties desire to arbitrate for a lower amount than the monetary award cap that would otherwise be applicable.

(3) Parties to a dispute may jointly notify the Board that they agree to submit an eligible matter in dispute to the Board's arbitration program, where no formal proceeding has begun before the Board. The joint notice must clearly state the issue(s) which the parties are willing to submit to arbitration and the corresponding maximum monetary award cap if the parties desire to arbitrate for a lower amount than the applicable monetary award cap.

(b) Opt-out procedures. Any party who has elected to participate in the arbitration program may file a notice at any time under Docket No. EP 699, informing the Board of the party's decision to opt out of the program or amend the scope of its participation. The notice shall take effect 90 days after filing and shall not itself excuse the filing party from arbitration proceedings that are ongoing, or permit it to withdraw its consent to participate in any arbitration-program-eligible dispute associated with their opt-in notice for any matter before the Board at any time prior to the end of the 90 day period before the opt-out notice takes effect

(c) Public notice of arbitration program participation. The Board shall maintain a list of participants who have opted into the arbitration program on its Web site at www.stb.gov. Those parties participating in arbitration only for a particular dispute will not be listed on the Board's Web site.