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More Federal Funds for High Speed Rail Heading to CA
Sorry, Wisconsin and Ohio! If you don't want those federal funds for high-speed rail (HSR) projects, well, California will be more than happy to those bucks off your hands. Today Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced he will redirect about $1.2 billion to the states who have large HSR projects, including California, according to Time. Our state, along with Florida, will get the lion's share of the funds, up to $624 million to the Golden State alone.
After hearing the news, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement applauding LaHood's bold move and further cheering on HSR in the state:
“California is leading the nation in bringing true high-speed rail to the U.S., and this award is another sign that we are on the right track toward breaking ground on this historic and critically needed infrastructure project. Building this system will be challenging, but it is clear that we have a strong partner in our federal government to bring economic strength, environmental benefits and job creation to California.”
According to the Governor's office, this most recent allocation of funds brings our state's to-date total of federal assistance to approximately $3.2 billion. Recently, the first leg of an ambitious HSR project to connect San Francisco with Anaheim was approved for the Central Valley.
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