Some pols threaten to scuttle HSR

Two new governors: OH, WI

Jon Boyd, Nov 04, 10.

Two governors-elect have vowed to scuttle high-speed rail projects in their states and the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee would like to review the US Department of Transportation list of high-speed rail projects, according to reports this week.

Two of the newly elected governors, John Kasich of Ohio and Scott Walker of Wisconsin, both made campaign promises to terminate high-speed rail projects planned for their states, according to Jon Schmitz of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Transportation Nation):

In Ohio, which won a $400 million federal stimulus grant to develop passenger rail in the Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati corridor, the gubernatorial winner was Republican John Kasich, who in August said at a candidate forum, “If you want that train, I hope you can get over that and vote for me anyway, but you’re not going to get that train.”

[On Monday, Kasich asked outgoing Governor Ted Strickland to halt any further spending for the high speed rail system.]
Derailment of the project would kill whatever hopes Pittsburgh rail advocates had of someday tying into a proposed Midwest network of high-speed passenger service.

Wisconsin also elected a passionate foe of President Barack Obama’s plan to develop a nationwide network of high-speed trains.

“I will put a stop to this boondoggle the day I take office,” said Republican Scott Walker in a posting on his campaign website. Wisconsin was awarded $810 million for development of Milwaukee-to-Madison service.

Meanwhile, Representative John Mica, ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, won his re-election bid in Florida, while the committee’s current chair, James Oberstar lost his race after serving Congress since 1974. Mica says that he favors high-speed rail, but is already asking for a review of the high-speed rail projects on the US DOT list, according to an Associated Press report (via Transportation Nation and the Los Angeles Times):

The Republican lawmaker in line to head the House Transportation Committee says he wants to re-examine $10 billion in federal grants for high-speed train service, one of President Barack Obama’s signature programs.

Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., the committee’s ranking GOP member, told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday that he believes high-speed trains are a good idea, but he doesn’t agree with the projects selected by the Transportation Department for funding.

The biggest awards announced last January were $2.3 billion to California to begin work on an 800-mile-long, high-speed rail line tying Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay area to Los Angeles and San Diego; $1.25 billion to Florida to build a rail line connecting Tampa on the West Coast with Orlando in the middle of the state, eventually going south to Miami; $1.1 billion to Missouri and Illinois to improve a rail line between Chicago and St. Louis so that trains travel up to 110 mph, and $810 million to Wisconsin to build a new line between Madison and Milwaukee, which eventually could be part of a line connecting Minneapolis to Chicago.

Mica complained that most of the projects weren’t truly high-speed trains like the trains in Europe and Asia. He also said that the Northeast is probably the only region in the United States with a population density great enough to financially support a high-speed rail network.

“I am a strong advocate of high-speed rail, but it has to be where it makes sense,” Mica said. “The administration squandered the money, giving it to dozens and dozens of projects that were marginal at best to spend on slow-speed trains to nowhere.”

Mica said he wants to “refocus on several projects that could be a success, particularly in the Northeast corridor, which was almost totally neglected by the administration. We’ll revisit all of those projects.”

Two transportation experts speculate on the prospects of federal legislation based on the configuration of the next Congress, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The Republican takeover of the U.S. House and Mr. Oberstar’s ouster dimmed the chances for a long-term transportation bill that would increase funding to the states.

Mr. Oberstar’s $500 billion program “is certainly not in the cards anymore,” said C. Kenneth Orski, a consultant and transportation expert who closely monitors the Washington scene.

“It’s going to be a lower number and probably a shorter [duration] bill,” he said.

An extension of the transportation law that expired in September 2009 will itself run out in December. Mr. Orski said he expected Congress to simply extend it again, with no funding increase.

“I don’t see anything bold happening in Congress to address this program in the next 18 months” and it’s possible the issue will be put off until after the 2012 presidential election, Mr. Latham [executive vice president of Associated Pennsylvania Constructors] said. “The action is clearly at the state level rather than the national level.”

The Republican takeover and Mr. Oberstar’s defeat did little to cheer transit and bike trail advocates.

“To the extent that Republicans are somewhat less enthusiastic about transit than the Democrats, I see somewhat less emphasis on transit,” Mr. Orski said.

“That doesn’t mean support for transit will disappear but it probably means the expectations of advocacy groups will not be met.”

Mr. Oberstar, still an avid bicyclist at age 76, had championed increased funding for bike lanes, trails and pedestrian improvements.

His likely successor as chairman, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., also has supported funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects, but the new House speaker, John Boehner, R-Ohio, has called for eliminating such funding.

(Pictured: Representative John Mica (FL-7)