California votes to move forward with high-speed rail

{mosads}Over the objection of Republican
state lawmakers however, a closely-divided California
Senate also appropriated money from the Obama administration for the
controversial high-speed railway. Since 2009, the Obama administration has awarded more
than $3 billion to the California railway, which had already been
approved earlier this week by the state’s equivalent of the U.S. House,
the General Assembly.

California High Speed Rail Authority Chairman Dan Richard
hailed the final votes to approve the proposed railway as visionary on Friday evening.

“The Legislature’s action sets in motion a statewide rail modernization
plan for California,” Richard said in a statement.

“Not only will California be the first state in the
nation to build a high-speed rail system to connect our urban centers, we will
also modernize and improve rail systems at the local and regional level,” he
continued.  “This plan will improve mobility for commuters and travelers
alike, reduce emissions, and put thousands of people to work while enhancing
our economic competitiveness.”

The California high-speed railway has drawn the ire of
Republican lawmakers in Washington and the Golden State. When President Obama
awarded $8 billion from the 2009 economic stimulus package to states who were
proposing to build high-speed railways, California received more money than any
other state.

Republicans in Congress seized onto reports last
fall that the cost of building the line has increased from $33 to $98 billion since
it was approved by California voters in a 2008 referendum. The House voted last fall to eliminate
funding that was dedicated to high-speed rail in the 2012 fiscal year, which is
scheduled to end in September, and they did not include any money for railways in
their budget for 2013.

GOP governors in states like Florida, Wisconsin and
Ohio returned money for high-speed railways in 2010 that was offered by the Obama
administration from the stimulus. But California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) said the
vote in his state’s legislature to move forward with the high-speed railway proposal was
validation of voters’ support for the project.

“In 2008, California voters decided to create jobs and
modernize our state’s rail transportation system with a major investment in
high-speed rail and key local projects in Northern and Southern California,” Brown
said in a statement released Friday evening.  “The Legislature took bold action today that
gets Californians back to work and puts California out in front once again.”

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood also praised California lawmakers for deciding to keep the proposed railway on track, saying late Friday that the vote was “a big win for the people of California.

“I congratulate the Legislature on taking action today to strengthen and grow the California economy,” LaHood said in a statement.  “No economy can grow faster than its transportation network allows. With highways between California cities congested and airspace at a premium, Californians desperately need an alternative.”

LaHood added that California’s high-speed railway would “ultimately deliver fast, efficient, reliable service between San Francisco Bay and the Los Angeles Basin in less than three hours.

“Californians have always embraced bold visions and delivered public projects that chart the way for the rest of the nation; today’s vote continues that tradition of leadership,” he said.