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Champ Springs $3.5 B for Columbia River Crossing
"We can't wait" - at leat not until after the election.President Barack Obama announced Saturday that the Columbia River Crossing will be one of several transportation projects to be expedited by his "We Can't Wait" initiative. The announcement, relayed in a joint statement by the governors of Washington and Oregon, was not accompanied by any specific financial commitment. Another empty promise? Do you think the rubes will figure it out? "President Obama's announcement today recognizes the importance the crossing has to the region and will help us expedite the needed federal permits," said Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire. "This project will provide thousands of construction jobs, as well as long-term growth in one of the most trade-dependent areas of the United States," she said. "We are committed to taking the necessary steps to begin bridge construction in 2014." If it's so important, why can't you find funds for it? Why shouldn't it wait for the same permitting process that a coal-fired powerplant waits on? This was not the first high-level show of support for the project. In March, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said his department remains "totally committed" to the Columbia River Crossing. Why, that makes it seem like the announcement by Obama is politically motivated! "It's going to be a model for multimodal transportation," LaHood said at the time. "It's bistate, bipartisan ... any way you can describe it, it's a great project." Posted by: Bobby 2012-08-20 |
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