California Senate Approves: High Speed Rail Project to Move Forward!
All Aboard!!! Next Stop, Governor Brown!
JUDY LIN | July 6, 2012 07:01 PM EST | AP
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers have approved billions of dollars in construction financing for the first segment of what would be the nation's first dedicated high-speed rail line, eventually connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The state Senate voted 21-16 on a party-line vote Friday after intense lobbying by Gov. Jerry Brown, Democratic leaders and labor groups.
The bill authorizes the state to begin selling $2.6 billion in voter-approved bonds to build an initial 130-miles stretch in the Central Valley. That would allow the state to collect about $3.2 billion in federal funding that could have been rescinded if lawmakers failed to act Friday.
Critics call the bullet train a boondoggle, but supporters hailed the vote as the start of a much-needed infrastructure project. The bill also includes about $1.9 billion in funds for local rail projects.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Sorry, I just hate that red lettering when you edit a post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120706/us-high-speed-rail/
Also, only minutes before the Senate vote was in:
By Mary Slosson
SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 6 | Sat Jul 7, 2012 12:30am IST
(Reuters) - California's high speed rail project faces a fiercely contested financing vote in the state Senate on Friday that could determine its fate following years of controversy over the high cost of the plan, now pegged at $68 billion, and concerns about its management.
The project, expected to take decades to complete, has the backing of Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, who says a bullet train network will boost job creation and provide an alternative to car and plane travel in the country's most populous state.
Unions have also lobbied hard for what amounts to the most ambitious public works project to date in California, which has a 10.8 percent unemployment rate.
But Republicans oppose the plan, whose estimated costs have ballooned from an initial $45 billion to over $68 billion. They predict it will be a massive financial burden for the state.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/06/usa-california-highspeedrail-idINL2E8I68YY20120706
This is wonderful!! I'll be joining you now in the bouncy dance - something I haven't done in a very long time.
Are you?
For people who've lived on the East Coast and/or visited countries where rail service is more common and widespread, this is a no-brainer.
But I can see from many replies here that we are, many of us, wedded to rubber wheels, buses, cars, highways.
The Oil Men and Rubber Barons did their job well.
Had they started earlier, there wouldn't have been a New York Subway or DC Metro.
Shame on us!
California is trapped by it's own backwardness and ignorance with sustainable planning, we're addicted to oil and use more energy for transportation than for all other uses combined.
The US as a whole uses far more energy for electricity production than for transport, but not California.
It's time we move forward.
I thank Darrell Steinberg for his leadership in the Senate, and especially with projects related to energy and to education.
