Yesterday someone actually asked me why I hadn't posted on High Cost Rail lately. It seems a month and a half hiatus leaves some hungry for news. But there really isn't much news. There has been plenty of ink spilled rehashing the same ole stuff, but now the Feds are relaxing the September 2012 deadline to begin construction since we are apparently "making continual progress" according to a piece in the Mercury Times. It goes on to note
A lot of work remains, however. In recent months, Gov. Jerry Brown's appointees overhauled the project twice, while planners tweaked track assignments in response to community concerns. They still haven't finished two key documents needed before construction can start: the business plan and state environmental reports.
That's all. Just the business plan and the EIR. In the meantime, people all over the country are watching. One Thom McKee from Marriottsville, MD has this letter in the Wall Street Journal today
Regarding your editorial "Obama's Keystone Jujitsu" (Feb. 28): C'mon seriously, no one could be that politically cynical. You must have misreported the facts. After all, approving only the Oklahoma-Texas section of a pipeline to deliver oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast would be like backing a high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to San Francisco and then proposing only to build the leg between two middle-of-nowhere towns in the Central Valley. Oh, never mind.
Good work "federal rail authorities" but there is someone keeping them on their toes. For all those who think the Europeans love their HSR, here is a link to a story from Italy that is making the rounds among those of us who think this is just a massive boondoggle.
The California High-Speed Rail project makes the Solyndra scandal seem like small potatoes," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
Well put!
Posted by: hillsider | March 01, 2012 at 03:56 PM