Posted on 10/27/2011 4:11:10 PM PDT by mdittmar
Surface Transportation Board to permit high-speed rail project that will create more than 32,000 Nevada jobs
October 26, 2011
Washington, D.C. — Nevada Senator Harry Reid today applauded the decision by the Department of Transportation’s bipartisan Surface Transportation Board (STB) to grant an exemption for DesertXpress to build and operate a 190-mile high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California that could create more than 32,000 Nevada jobs.
“I’m pleased that the DesertXpress project is getting the green light to proceed, which will not only put tens of thousands of Nevadans to work but ultimately bring more tourists to boost Nevada's economy,” Reid said. “I look forward to Nevadans being back on the job and more visitors from California choosing Las Vegas because of this high-speed rail option.”
The STB decision says DesertXpress must meet environmental conditions and build the route in a way that causes minimal harm to the environment. Attached is the full text of the STB’s decision.
BACKGROUND
• In July, the Department of Transportation issued its Record of Decision (ROD) for the DesertXpress Project, which was the final step of the Environmental Impact Statement process and allowed work to move forward on the project.
• A UNLV Report states that the DesertXpress Project would produce an estimated 17,469 primary jobs and 16,432 secondary jobs in Clark County over three years by 2013.
• The DesertXpress Project will connect Las Vegas to Victorville in Southern California, and later the California high-speed rail system.
• Twenty-six percent of all visitors to Las Vegas come from Southern California.
• The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce supports DesertXpress because it will bring more tourists to southern Nevada and boost Nevada’s economy.
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insanity
They always overstate the number of jobs by a factor of 5 and the economic impact and understate the costs to the taxpayers.
All this train will do is allow perverts to hitch a ride to the brothels.
It will end up like the Railrunner in New Mexico, a big money waster
tickets should be free with billions of dollars in taxpayers subsidies
Agreed. But at least there is no environmental impact...its a train between two desert waste lands...LA and Nevada...
At least it’s privately funded and goes some place people would actually travel to/from. Unlike California’s publicly funded high-speed rail to nowhere.
Short answer. The thousands of people that already take party-buses, and limos, and a percentage of the people that fly.
I live in Ontario so it’s shorter drive for me then for most but I would probably take this line if it’s competitive with airline pricing.
Without a doubt it will feature a casino car and plenty of bars.
It’s privately funded. If you want to debate the merits of loan guarantees go right ahead, but there are thousands of them and most of them get paid back with interest.
I don’t think government should be in the loan business, especially when its to friends and supporters or to stupid projects like this. Government should not be doing it period.
Its not “privately funded” if its getting 99.9% of its funding from the government and it will never make a profit to pay it back. The taxpayers get screwed and the “private partners” get to keep their “pay”.
ludicrous.
Perhaps, but that’s a philosophical argument since the government IS in the business of guaranteeing plenty of loans from FHA and SBA on up.
I didn’t read where it was getting 99.9% of it’s funding from the government.
This will be government funded. No private investors would touch this without the “loan guarantees” which means they will lose nothing if it crashes and burns like Solyndra and it will.
You could not be more wrong!
I won’t even drive a “Modern” or “Luxury” car, they bore me.
I’m still driving stiff suspension sports cars and vintage trucks, manual trans and no AC, never going to change that.
Nevada will be one of the last states to have this mandated, might happen long after I am gone.
Actually I doubt it ever will happen outside of So. Cal, some other major cities and the inter-states.
The treasury cannot print that many trillions on top of all the other funny money already in circulation.
After a relatively short period of time the difference in death rates should take care of the problem where those who don't like ESC die before they can escape to breed again.
No insult, but, “May your chains rest lightly upon you”.
Driving is one of the few area’s where WE are still in control.
I’m not giving that up!
When all the vehicles near you on the road are being driven in the safest possible manner by the machines, avoiding every accident, and it’s all on you to maintain control on your John Deere Tractor, I think the lack of a speed limit will start to cause you some serious disorientation!
You just don’t get it.
The speed limits will not be changed, they exist for revenue and alleged fuel savings, not our safety.
I pretty well ignore the speed limits now, raising them would not bother me.
In Nevada we had the Basic Speed Law, no set limit, until the Fed. forced the damn double nickel on us during the phony “Arab Oil Embargo.
Any auto-drive system will HAVE to retain a manual mode for failure and operation away from controlled roads.
Manual mode will allow lead foot driving, unless they also incorporate the Japanese type governor and flashing lights.
Speaking of failure, if this did come to pass, the occasional failure might rival an airline crash for mayhem.
I will not trust my life to Chinese low bid electronics!
Sorry, it wasn’t phony around here ~ pretty real actually. Carter let us run out of gasoline and freeze to death in the dark.
Advanced computer systems have gone way beyond the limited thinking of our primitive ancestors.
"I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves." - Ronald Reagan
"Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice." Barry Goldwater
"Moderation in principle is always a vice." "Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil." --Tom Paine.
"Government is not the solution, it's the problem." --Ronald Reagan.
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
-- William Pitt
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