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California OKs funding for high-speed rail line
Caliphornia politicians approved billions of dollars Friday in construction financing for the initial segment of the nation's first dedicated high-speed rail line connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco.The move marked a major political victory for Democratic Gov.  Jerry Governor MoonbeamBrown ... those who ignore history are bound to repeat it ... and the B.O. regime. Both have promoted bullet trains as job generators and clean transportation alternatives. I'm going to go visit my brother in Florida later this month. I looked into taking the train. It cost about twice as much as flying. A bullet train won't be cheaper. "No economy can grow faster than its transportation network allows," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement applauding the legislative vote. "With highways between Caliphornia cities congested and airspace at a premium, Caliphornians desperately need an alternative." The bill authorizes the state to begin selling $4.5 billion in voter-approved bonds that includes $2.6 billion to build an initial 130-mile stretch of the high-speed rail line in the Central Valley. That will allow the state to collect another $3.2 billion in federal funding that could have been rescinded if politicians failed to act Friday. Brown pushed for the massive infrastructure project to accommodate expected growth in the nation's most populous state, which now has 37 million people. He said the project is sorely needed to create jobs in a region with higher-than-average unemployment. Members of the state Senate voted 21-16 along party lines after intense lobbying by Brown, Democratic leaders and labor groups. The bill, which passed the state Assembly on Thursday, now heads to Brown for his signature. Posted by: Fred 2012-07-07 |
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