The federal government has notified the California High-Speed Rail Authority it is ending its agreement to help fund the bullet train project, a setback that could cost the state hundreds of millions dollars in funding.
earlier this year that the project lacked a path to complete a statewide system and vowed to scale back the $77-billion mega-project.“The Trump Administration’s action is illegal and a direct assault on California, our green infrastructure, and the thousands of Central Valley workers who are building this project,” the governor said in a statement.
“Just as we have seen from the Trump Administration’s attacks on our clean air standards, our immigrant communities and in countless other areas, the Trump Administration is trying to exact political retribution on our state. This is California’s money, appropriated by Congress, and we will vigorously defend it in court.”
Ten years after voters approved it, the rail project is $44 billion over budget and years behind schedule. A state audit in November blamed flawed decision-making, organizational faults and poor contract management by the California High Speed Rail Authority. Many don’t believe the train can complete the trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco in the two hours and 40 minutes mandated in the bond measure.
The grants are critical to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to build a 171-mile partial bullet train segment from Bakersfield to Merced, a plan he unveiled after saying that a more ambitious Bay Area to Central Valley system would cost too much and take too long to complete. Even with the federal grants,
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
California’s high-speed rail project and Trump administration are no longer on speaking termsThe U.S. Department of Transportation has cut off communication with California's bullet train agency, a radio silence that may further set back the project.
Read more »
Trump administration pulls California high-speed rail fundingThe Federal Railroad Administration announced Thursday that it terminated a nearly $929 million grant to the California High-Speed Rail Authority as part of a 2010 agreement, saying the state 'abandoned its original vision of a high-speed passenger rail service connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles.'
Read more »
California’s high-speed rail project and the feds are no longer on speaking termsFederal agencies and the state high-speed rail authority are like a couple filing for an unseemly divorce and alleging mutual mistreatment of their child — a partly built bullet train from Merced to Bakersfield.
Read more »
U.S. cancels $929 million in California high speed rail funds after appeal rejectedThe Trump administration said Thursday it was formally cancelling $929 million i...
Read more »
California files 50th suit against Trump administration, this time disputing union dues policyCalifornia filed its 50th lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging a new federal rule that it argues interferes with the ability to deduct union dues from the paychecks of workers in a government program that helps the elderly and disabled.
Read more »
Cops use robot, drones, stun grenades, dogs to subdue suspect after high-speed chaseA murder suspect remained hospitalized on Saturday following a wild pursuit by police that ended with a dramatic standoff in southern California, authorities said.
Read more »
Have House, Will Travel: A Couple and Their Six High-End HomesManaging six homes is a full-time job for Vivian Dixon and John Chapple, who split their time between four parts of the country
Read more »
Starbucks' China challenger Luckin Coffee will likely price IPO at high end of range or aboveStarbucks' China challenger Luckin Coffee is preparing for its public debut Friday on the Nasdaq.
Read more »
Cops use robot, drones, stun grenades and K-9 dogs to subdue suspect following wild shootout during high-speed chaseA murder suspect remained hospitalized on Saturday following a wild pursuit by police that ended with a dramatic standoff in southern California, authorities said. On Friday afternoon, detectives observed a man in Maywood they suspected to have killed a local liquor store owner in the nearby city of
Read more »
Trump administration prepares multiple military options for Iran, including airstrikes and setting up ground invasionThe plans are separated into two categories and involve airstrikes, targeted incursions and setting U.S. forces up for a ground invasion.
Read more »