Posted on 09/19/2011 2:07:51 PM PDT by SmithL
Even if state officials can scrape together the billions of dollars needed to fund California's ambitious high-speed rail plans, lawsuits from local cities and opposition groups still could delay, divert or derail the project altogether.
In the Bay Area, cities and nonprofits are suing over issues with the route and environmental studies. In Southern California, the city of Palmdale has gone to court over fears that rail officials will pull a planned Antelope Valley line through the city and reroute the tracks up Interstate 5 instead.
Perhaps the hardest-fought battle is yet to come in the Central Valley, where Kings County officials and residents say they'll do everything in their power to stop a 100-mile stretch of track from wiping out thousands of acres of prime farmland between Fresno and Bakersfield.
The biggest obstacle facing the beleaguered bullet train is probably its uncertain financial future. But lengthy court battles also could affect the project by delaying construction, increasing costs and altering the course the train takes through the state.
At the moment, ground zero for anti-high-speed rail sentiment is Kings County. It's a crucial region for the project because federal requirements attached to nearly $3.5 billion in stimulus cash dictate construction must begin in the Valley. If rail officials are unable to spend those funds by September 2017, the federal government could divert them elsewhere.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Hey. CA could just build it right on top of fault lines and apply for continual updating funds.
IOW, Californians like high speed rail in theory — they just don’t want it to traverse any actual land.
If only there were some way to travel, at high speed, to distant points, that didn’t involve using any of the land in between. If only ... I guess that’s just an impossible dream.
Well, they could levitate....
ROTFL!
Very clever! But you can’t just assume that Californians have heard of airplanes!
ROTFL!
Very clever! But you can’t just assume that Californians have heard of airplanes!
Oh, Dear Lord...please please PLEASE let there be some endangered garden slug living along the route of this thing, so that we could sue under the Endangered Species Act. It will be the most fun most of us ever have with our pants on.
Never saw that one coming.
“Environmental studies”
BWAHAHAHAHAA!!
I wonder how the left (er, “progressives”) like obstructionist use of the legal system now?
California has the highest ULPSM (underemployed lawyers per square mile) in the country.
Might as well rename this the “Welfare for Lawyers Project.”
Because no trains will be built with these funds.
Cal. state song: “A Boy Named Sue!”
I live in the SF Bay Area between SF & San Jose. All the liberals voted for HSR. In CA, everyone always looks at the benefits, and they rarely (ever?) look hard at the costs - thus they have no experience with cost/benefit analysis.
BOONDOGGLE!
Long story short, when the “geniuses” in Palo Alto discovered that HSR would need 60-100 feet of right of way + additional area for stations, there would be noise, etc. They started to freak.
BOONDOGGLE!
“Why can’t they build it underground?” Uh, there are arroyos with a depth of 30ft. The track (and stations) would need to be 100ft undergound. I recall hearing about $100M per mile.
BOONDOGGLE!
I’ve seen a plan to run the HSR from San Diego to Sacramento (500 miles). Trip time - with stops - would be 3+ hours. Price of HSR ticket - they won’t say. Southwest Airlines - $93.
BOONDOGGLE!
Here’s one time I hope the environmentalists win.
Truly Weird.
LOL!!!!!!
Plus a plane would be faster than rail.. Also for a rail to go 500 miles it has to go in a straight line. Non stop..
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