As Republicans move to gut California high-speed rail, Dems urge Buttigieg to fund project
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CALIFORNIA DEMS URGE SPEEDY FUNDING APPROVAL FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL
President Joe Biden has less than a month left in office, and California congressional Democrats are urging his Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, to hurry up and approve $536 million in federal grant funding for the California High-Speed Rail Authority before he heads out the door.
President-elect Donald Trump and his political allies, billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, have signaled their intention to try to gut the high-speed rail project when they officially take over on Jan. 20. California Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Roseville, who sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has announced legislation to do just that.
On Friday, Democratic lawmakers Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, and Reps. Pete Aguilar, Jim Costa and Zoe Lofgren sent a letter to Buttigieg calling on him to approve funding for the first phase of the project, which includes support.
“Advancing progress on the California Phase 1 Corridor is essential for enhancing our nation’s and California’s strategic transportation network investments,” the letter reads in part.
The authority’s application “aims to support the next stage of design for the first two segments in a sequence of design sections that have been environmentally cleared,” namely the Bakersfield to Palmdale route and the Gilroy to Central Valley Wye route.
“The planned tunneling design work is essential for advancing the program from the current construction in the Central valley toward the largest population centers of the state,” the letter reads.
The lawmakers write that investment in high-speed rail will support living wage jobs, offer opportunities for small businesses and “enhance the mobility” of the affected communities, “all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
If the federal funding is approved, it would be matched by state Cap and Trade funds to the tune of nearly $134 million, bringing the total cost of this portion of the project to $670 million.
CALIFORNIA WATER INFRASTRUCTURE TO GET A BOOST FROM THE FEDS
Via David Lightman...
The Senate last week passed legislation that will help the state’s water infrastructure.
Its package included three measures, pushed by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., that would:
▪ Help address the effect of climate change in the state. The bill includes $20 million to “restore ecosystems and bolster salmon recovery, and it directs a new study to examine ways to modify the existing Sacramento River levee system for floodplain management and ecosystem restoration,” a Padilla press release said.
▪ Reauthorize the National Dam Safety Program until 2028. Funding expired last year. The program provides federal help for communities downstream that could be affected by dam failure. It provides help for training, staffing needs, emergency planning, and dam inspection and monitoring activities.
▪ Help for communities affected by natural disasters. The bill authorizes the Economic Development Administration to “make grants or cooperative agreements for early-stage project development activities to support communities that otherwise may be unable to compete for larger state and federal grants.”
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This story was originally published December 23, 2024 at 4:55 AM with the headline "As Republicans move to gut California high-speed rail, Dems urge Buttigieg to fund project."