Action Alert: Stand Firm on HSR Funding
Yesterday Californians For High Speed Rail launched the following action alert. Please join us in calling our Senators and the president. We need them to stand firm against Republican efforts to destroy our future and save high speed rail funds. The right-wing wants to strangle HSR in the cradle. They and their oil company funders know that if just one line gets built, even a first segment in the Central Valley, Californians will demand it be connected to SF and LA. Let’s make sure we keep these funds flowing, and that President Obama and California’s senators resist the temptation to cave and sell out high speed rail just to appease Republicans.
We cannot let high-speed rail be part of the federal spending cuts as it is just getting started!
Currently the United States Congress is negotiating the annual spending bill for FY 2011 which might be finalized in two weeks to avoid a government shutdown. The House has already passed a bill that eliminates all funding for the high-speed rail (HSR) program. The Senate is proposing to restore all HSR money. However, the Senate’s position is only a starting position and some Senate democrats and the Obama administration are indicating they are willing to compromise with more spending cuts.
As an HSR supporter, please join Californians For High Speed Rail in urging our Senators and the President to stand firm during negotiations with the House and to commit to fully restoring high-speed rail funding in FY 2011 appropriations bill. Please call today!
Senator Dianne Feinstein: 202-224-3841
Senator Barbara Boxer: 202-224-3553
President Barack Obama: 202-456-1111
Calling is more effective than just sending e-mail. Also, reaching a staff person is the best way to communicate rather than just leaving a message. You may need to hold awhile, but be patient. You may even get hung up on occasionally. Keep calling back. You will get through. When you call, state your name, where you live, what you are asking for.
HOW THE HOUSE BILL IMPACTS THE CALIFORNIA HSR PROJECT
The House of Representatives recently passed an appropriations bill for the remainder of FY 2011 that will severely impact the California HSR project. The bill does the following:
Eliminates all Federal funding for HSR in FY 2011.
In FY 2010, $2.5 billion was appropriated for HSR, from which the California HSR project received a good portion. Eliminating this funding in FY 2011 will slow down the California project, as no additional HSR funds will be available.
Rescinds all unobligated HSR funds from FY 2010.
The House bill not only eliminates new funding in FY 2011, it actually rescinds money appropriated in 2010. Therefore, if the House bill prevails, California will lose the $715 million it was granted in FY 2010.
Rescinds all unobligated HSR funds from the Stimulus.
The House bill also eliminates all unobligated funds from the 2009 Stimulus. Yes, that’s right, it goes after money that was assigned to HSR over 2 years ago. The original $2.25 billion granted to California is likely safe. However, the money that California received from rejected HSR funds from Wisconsin and Ohio – $614 million – has not been obligated and is endanger of being lost.
Rescinds $2.4 billion in HSR funds originally designated for Florida, but rejected by Governor Rick Scott.
Much of the $2.4 billion in HSR funds rejected by Florida’s Governor Rick Scott is likely to be redirected to the California HSR project. However, the entire $2.4 billion would be eliminated by the House bill, as it is a mixture of FY 2010 money and unobligated stimulus money. California is likely to get at least $1 billion and possibly $1.5 billion dollars or more from this reject money, but will not get any if the House bill prevails.
Total Result to California Project – Loss of $2.3 – $3 Billion in Federal Funds and a delay in spending matching State Proposition 1A Bond money on the initial construction.
The result will be that the initial segment for construction will have to be severely scaled back, significantly reducing the momentum of the project.
Please take action today – it does not take much time to make three phone calls. High-speed rail is too important to be negotiated away just as it is getting off the ground. You can make a difference right now.
If District residents had representation in Congress, I’d contact my representative and Senator.
Did my share – just made three phone calls this morning to voice my support for the HSR.
The CHSRA scheme is so crappy it does not deserve federal funding.
nobody important Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 1:03 pm
Oh you!
Eric M Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
This coming from someone who said aerial rail would topple in an earthquake. Hmmm, seems Japans aerials didn’t all collapse!!
synonymouse Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
Good point – but we’ll have to see exactly what kind of damage did occur. Also just how massive are Japan’s aerials.
It was a very long quake but very deep. Apparently California’s temblors cannot go much beyond 8.0 but there are lots of faults and closer to the surface. I’d like to see a simulation of a 1906 on 12 miles of continuous 60′ elevated.
J. Wong Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Why? The Central Valley is not very close to the San Andreas (or any comparable faults). And, no one is proposing 12 miles at 60′. Also, the Authority is looking at ways to reduce the aerial requirements in the Central Valley.
Bret Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not, and I certainly don’t mean to defend Syn, but the tracks will have to be elevated 60 feet through Bakersfield for about 12 miles, and the San Andreas Fault is about 45 miles west of Bakersfield. I have no doubt they are going to construct this thing to withstand quakes of almost any magnitude, but I can also see where it would give cause for concern for some people.
J. Wong Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 7:32 pm
I stand corrected, but I think 45 miles is sufficiently far away for earthquakes.. San Francisco was around 6 miles from the fault in 1906. They’d feel it like they did in Tokyo, which was 231 miles from the epicenter of the latest, but like you note, they’d build for it. Also, I think the section of the San Andreas near Bakersfield is known for its frequent small quakes not infrequent big ones. Let’s hope they figure out a ROW for Bakersfield that won’t require 12 miles of 60′ aerials just for the cost alone.
wu ming Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
the east side of the valley is the most geographically stable part of the state. crossing the faults between the bay area, the central valley, and LAS will be the seriously overengineered part. which is why it should be crossed at grade whenever possible.
synonymouse Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
I understand – nothing can possibly go wrong. PB is in total control of the situation.
As I am regularly being reminded the San Andrea and Garlock are virtually on the surface – otherwise there would not be such breast beating and teeth gnashing at the thought of tunneling thru those faults.
But there is a route to breach Tejon crossing both faults at grade and as the crow flies it is not that far removed from the Detour. But it is many miles shorter – every mile saved is one mile less of exposure to seismic damage. We are not even talking about the savings in travel times, crew manhours, electricity or maintenance. Shorter is better.
adirondacker12800 Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
Shorter is better until you want to go someplace other than LA or SF. Then Tejon is longer.
synonymouse Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 6:25 pm
It is even faster for Palmdale.
adirondacker12800 Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 6:29 pm
It’s even faster for Palmdale except for the really long ride to the station in Bakersfield.
wu ming Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
15 miles is a very shallow quake, once again you just make shit up and hope noone calls you on it.
Useless Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
Yea, but Japanese are out of California HSR race now.
It was JR East’s routes that were running through Tohoku, the very area at the heart of yesterday’s quake and tsunami. The damages are extensive and may cost a trillion dollar to repair.
Japan has no money and resources to bid on California project, all available resources have to be spent on repairing Japan itself.
wu ming Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
you have any evidence for that, or are you just making stuff up?
Useless Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 4:02 pm
@ wu ming
$20 billion offered isn’t JR East’s money, but a Japanese government loan.
But you just have seen the damages on TV, the single most expensive natural disaster in human history. It’s going to cost every yen out of Japanese government’s financing to pay for reconstruction.
VBobier Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 8:56 pm
You make Japan sound like a poor 3rd world country, When Japan is anything but poor, So put up or shut up.
Rick Rong Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 10:03 pm
Actually, the earthquake could put a great deal of strain on Japan’s economy. I do not claim to know what impact it could have on Japan’s ability to finance HSR construction elsewhere. But according to an interview broadcast today on NPR,
“The second problem will be for the debt. Japan doesn’t have a lot of money to spend because they’re so indebted, but they will have to. Now in the short-term, this will be good. The economy will of course have to pick up if you’re pouring billions of dollars into infrastructure spending. But in the long-term, this is a negative because Japan will have to pay that back someday.”
Here is the link to the Podcast and transcript:
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/03/11/pm-economic-recovery-ahead-for-japan/
VBobier Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Well Rick Rong, Until Japan withdraws their offer helping fund HSR, It stands, As It’s sovereign government loan and so I will believe It when I read It @ the Transport Politic, Until then, Yer wrong Rick.
wu ming Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 11:57 am
the area hit hardest, tōhoku, is not at the core of japan’s economy, unlike the area damaged by the 1995 kōbe quake. while reconstruction will cost a huge amount of money, the tōhoku isn’t going to impede economic recovery except regionally:
“According to the Tohoku Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry, the total production of theTohoku region in 2005 was 57 trillion yen which accounts for 6% of the entire nation. Agriculture, forestry and fishery represent 3.4%, the mining, manufacturing and construction represent 37.5% and the service industry represent 59.2%.
Although agriculture represents a small ratio in production value, and the industry suffers from a declining workforce and aging workers, it still plays an important role in the nation’s food production and variety.”
the real impact in the short term will be on food prices in japan, is my guess. it’s worth pointing out that this quake did not destroy the entire region either, but rather just the part centered around sendai/fukushima, and along the east coast. sendai’s economy will be wrecked for a while.
assuming that this will suck up the japanese govt’s entire funding, and prevent the possibility of japanese bids on CAHSR, needs to be backed up with hard numbers and estimates of what actually got damaged to be taken seriously. japan is a very rich country, and the core parts of its economy have not been affected by this quake. their debt is almost entirely yen-denominated, which protects them from a currency manipulation-related crash. while JR east will have a lot of reconstruction work for them in the tōhoku, CAHSR still might provide more work for them, and thus a good investment.
america wasn’t destroyed by hurricane katrina, and that was arguably a more economically central place than the northeast coast. japan is more resilient than people are assuming.
James Fujita Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Thank you, Wu Ming. People, the Japanese economy is the third largest in the world, with a $5 trillion GDP.
Rebuilding the Sendai/ Miyagi/ Fukushima area is going to be expensive, but as Wu Ming said, the industrial engine of the nation is up and down the Tokaido from Tokyo to Osaka and along the Sanyo route south from there.
I am very grateful that the Japanese half of my family in Tokyo made it through with no trouble (200 miles from epicenter), and I am confident that Japan will bounce back quickly.
Useless Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
@ wu ming
Katrina didn’t have 70% of a city resident missing, or two melt-downs with third one in progress.
The reality is that this disaster is similar in terms of damages to 1923 Tokyo Earthquake, and it will take Japan a long long time and a trillion dollar to recover.
And no, Japan is in no position to offer a $20 billion loan, which was not a written formal offer.
James Fujita Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 10:30 pm
You are exaggerating both the situation at Fukushima and the time and money it will take to recover.
Certainly Fukushima is in trouble, but latest reports I saw said one partial melt likely at one reactor and trouble with two other reactors. Certainly not a Chernobyl sized blow and not even a Three-Mile Island.
As for the economy… it is probably still too early to tell, but I have not seen anything near $1 trillion dollars as an estimate.
from the Wall Street Journal:
Still, economists see reason to believe the effect on growth will be limited, both locally and globally. For one, reconstruction booms tend to offset the immediate negative effect of natural disasters—something Japan experienced after the Kobe earthquake of 1995.
Also, Friday’s earthquake hit a relatively rural area that accounts for a small share of the country’s economic output, as opposed to the Kobe quake, which hit a major port and industrial hub and claimed some 5,000 lives.
“I don’t view this as having a significant impact on global growth,” said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at consultancy IHS Global Insight. “Clearly it will add to Japan’s fiscal woes, but I think they can get through this one without serious problems.”
Useless Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 8:37 pm
@ James Fujita
I am sorry to report that the second reactor(#3) just blew up in Fukushima, and Tokyo is detecting radiation in the air.
Sendai was a manufacturing export base for Toyota and this is why you see thousands of brand new cars and thousands of containers washed up ashore. All Japanese auto production has stopped.
Basically the effect on Japan is like Hiroshima + US carpet bombing of Tokyo in 1945.
Peter Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 8:44 pm
@ Useless
For an EXCELLENT description of what is ACTUALLY happening to the reactors, from someone who actually knows what the fuck he’s talking about (i.e. not a reporter), see
this article. Then please chill out.
adirondacker12800 Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 8:59 pm
There was an explosion at another reactor site. The reactor itself hasn’t exploded.
D. P. Lubic Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 9:14 pm
Well, the damage from the flooding is certainly very serious and tragic, but I was just listening to the BBC (and also looked at Peter’s link above), and the trouble at the reactors is nothing like that some of the fear-monger types would have us believe. Supposedly 6 people were injured in the second explosion.
The bigger problems look like they will be in general rebuilding and the general loss of life from the tsunami, not in decontamination of radioactive elements from a damaged reactor.
Paulus Magnus Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 9:47 pm
What’s annoying is that there is far more human and environmental loss from the refineries and dams destroyed, while these reactors will lead to absolutely no short or long term problems. It should be great PR, since they withstood earthquakes and tsunamis several times in excess of design (to the largest earthquakes for which they had seismological information for), lack some new modern safety features, and, while now failing, are doing so in a safe manner. Instead of course, you will have all the scare-mongering and appeals for other systems which would cause more damage in a disaster or even normal use (yes, even solar; the molten salt coolant ones for overcast and night power generation would cause a hellacious mess if spilled from a quake).
Alon Levy Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
Peter, the article you’re linking to isn’t very reliable. It’s full of technical arguments, but the person who wrote it is a shill rather than an expert on nuclear power, and it contradcits some of the things reported that are hard to get wrong, like “22 people have gotten radiation poisoning.” It’s not Chernobyl, but it’s not Three Mile Island, either.
Peter Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 10:19 pm
Yeah, he’s a little patronizing, but that doesn’t change his main point, which is that the current hype about a possible nuclear disaster is overblown.
Alon Levy Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 10:59 pm
I don’t think it’s very patronizing by the standards of, um, a substantial number of commenters here. But it makes too many factual mistakes like that for me to believe the “Everything is okay, the experts are working on it” tone. Especially given the crackpot defense in the comments that if the Japanese government is saying it’s a serious problem then it’s lying to keep the oil industry happy. (Does the guy know anything about Japan?)
Peter Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 11:07 pm
I certainly don’t know anything about Japan, and my technical knowledge about nuclear reactors is limited to what I needed to know to write a paper on the legal ramifications of building new nuclear reactors in the US.
However, the more recent news reports I’ve been reading have basically been agreeing with what he was saying. I think people are just getting the headline of “ZOMG!! Explosion at Nuclear Reactor,”and not realizing that that is NOT the same thing as “Nuclear Reactor Explodes.”
Useless Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 2:55 am
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1625853.php/US-military-breaks-off-Japan-aid-mission-amid-radioactivity-fears
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/14/japan.us.navy.radiation/
USS Ronald Reagan is moving away from Japan after detecting radiation at 100 miles from the coast of Japan. This is a mini-Chernobyl.
Spokker Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 8:01 am
Did you even read the articles you are linking?
“The Navy’s statement, however, provided some perspective, noting that the maximum potential radiation dose received by personnel when the ship passed through the area was “less than the radiation exposure received from about one month of exposure to natural background radiation from sources such as rocks, soil, and the sun.”"
“No further contamination was detected after the crew members washed with soap and water, the Navy said.”
Useless Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 8:55 am
@ Peter
Where do you think hydrogen came from? From the inside of reactor leaking out.
@ Spokker
Yea, 1 hour = one month’s worth of natural dose.
Meaning 24 hour = 2 years worth of natural does.
1 month = 60 years worth of natural dose.
Flee, Japan is new Chernobyl.
Paulus Magnus Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 10:36 am
Well, your user name is certainly fitting Useless. First of all, you have no reason to believe it will be sustained over such a period of time rather than being a brief peak. Secondly, it is a truly minimal amount of radiation. The average yearly radiation dose, from natural background, is about 3 millisievert per year (accordingly, about 0.25 per month), although some areas are far higher. A CT scan of the chest, by way of example, gives a radiation exposure of 7 mSv. So in five minutes time, I received two years worth of radiation last year (more if you add in all the other fun x-rays and nuclear tests I had) and 28 times the radiation exposure of the Navy crew.
Now, what we can first tell is this: There is no danger of radiation sickness from the amount of radiation. That requires a solid 1-2Sv in a fairly short period of time to cause minimal sickness (non-fatal), which is several orders of magnitude more than the “One month’s worth in a year.” Annual radiation dose limits for radiology workers is about 50mSv, or about sixteen years worth of natural background radiation.
So, even were that level of exposure sustained for a long period of time (an utterly unreasonable proposal), provided that minimal precautions were maintained (such as remaining indoors whenever reasonably possible), it is perfectly safe. Heck, even Chernobyl, which did result in high amounts of radiation contamination, only increased cancer rates by about three percent over the norm amongst the heavily exposed population in the surrounding Ukraine and Belarus areas.
Paulus Magnus Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 10:59 am
Ah, here we go
The radiation is a complete non-event.
Spokker Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 11:32 am
I eat more than that for breakfast.
Paulus Magnus Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 11:39 am
Well, two bananas will definitely beat the most recent report, but at 36 microsievert per banana equivalent dose, I don’t think you quite eat the highest level.
Spokker Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 12:11 pm
From CNN.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/14/japan.nuclear.reactors/index.html#
“David J. Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University in New York, said people on average are exposed to about 3,000 microsieverts in a year, while a CT scan provides nearly that much exposure in a matter of minutes. So the doses reported outside Fukushima Daiichi’s gate on Monday are relatively low, he said. A few miles away, the doses would be much lower as the radiation dissipates.”
Useless, when the doctor says you have to get a CT scan to search for the cancer infesting your bowels, you better refuse. You wouldn’t want to die a hypocrite.
Useless Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 3:03 am
The US assessment of Fukushima disaster is far more serious than what Japanese officials are claiming it to be. Fukushima reactors will be releasing radiation into the air for months, and the region will have to be closed off for a long time. GE is heavily hit since Fukushima reactors are of GE’s design.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/world/asia/japan-fukushima-nuclear-reactor.html
thatbruce Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
GE over 5 days .
That does show a dip in today’s (Monday) trading around midday, but approaching the day’s opening price by EOT. A relatively minor hit so far, and likely to be unnoticeable after a week or so (although I’m no predictor of financial markets).
On another note; could you link to pages that don’t require registration?
VBobier Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
I think He has no evidence either, So unless He can provide It, The Emperor has no clothes.
Rick Rong Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 10:05 pm
I don’t know whether he is making it up or not, but see my post, below, which offers information that supports his assertion.
Richard Mlynarik Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 11:47 am
The blithering of the rah rah nukes techno fan boys (pumping full of sea water? Perfectly routine operation! Nothing to worry about! A non-event! Explosions? Nothing to see here!) provides, unsurprisingly, a 100% accurate guide to their technical and economic prowess and competence in other engineering fields.
Spokker Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 11:55 am
Haha you dipshit. When people are saying that the fallout is going to make California uninhabitable and that the plant is going to explode like an atom bomb, that kind of thing should be shot down immediately. The recent developments at the plant are terrible, but it’s going not going to herald the end of Japan, or even the end of that region of Japan as some hysterical people are saying.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6eq64z5iXVA/TXvKD-hMSuI/AAAAAAAAMUc/c_Moo7Qsesw/s1600/fallout.jpg
YESonHSR Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 5:24 pm
Very scary..Humans have never really see something like a metor impact that would make this look small..best hope for Japan and that they maby will still be able to bid on the project/ later phases
VBobier Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 3:58 pm
A pox and a curse on You I say Synonymouse. ;p
synonymouse Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
You sound like my wife.
YesonHSR Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
Poor Woman..
Well they’ve put the $2.4 Billion in funds from Florida up for competitive bidding:
http://www.fra.dot.gov/rpd/downloads/FRA_HSIPR_March_11_2011_NOFA.pdf
Applications are due April 4th. Let the race begin. Not sure when the winners will be announced. Let’s hope it’s California FTW.
YESonHSR Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
I wondered if they were going to rebid this money vs the Ohio/WIS funding redistribution..looks like they did. reading thru some of the pages its states matching funding is a postive in who will win some of this…
YESonHSR Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 5:36 pm
looking around google news..looks like Lahood did this to give FLA cities a chance to bid for this money..and end around Scott.. Maby no extra funds after all
StevieB Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
The state of Florida owns the right of way between Tampa and Orlando and the governor would have to approve the use which he will not. Florida will not be getting the money.
YesonHSR Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
correct..the Teabitch would never..Kochs have promised him something big
Alan F Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 8:31 am
My take is that the NEC will benefit from opening the process up for a new round of applications. The reason the NEC did not get much funding when the stimulus grants were awarded in January, 2010 is that the FRA wanted to see a coordinated and updated plan with EIS for the entire NEC. The NEC Infrastructure Master Plan was released last May, so while the plan is not very detailed, it does allocate projects into short, medium, and long term categories. Some of the NEC states can now submit updated and revised applications for the short term NEC projects.
The US DOT press release with links can be found here: http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2011/dot2911.html.
VA and NC may be able to submit revised applications for specific projects for the Southeast HSR corridor for the Richmond and the Richmond to Raleigh sections.
jim Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
You might see VA put in a Washington-Norfolk application.
Alan F Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
The extension of a NE Regional to Norfolk VA south of the river is, as far as I know, fully funded out of state rail money. But it would skip the route through downtown Richmond, at least initially.
Virginia’s main interest would be in the DC to Richmond Main Street station section. Will Virginia apply for the Acca yard bypass and fixing up the tracks to and south of the Main Street station?We’ll see.
BTW, what I meant to say in my previous post was “for the DC to Richmond and the Richmond to Raleigh sections”. The SE HSR corridor, even if not true HSR in the context of the CA HSR system, is a critical project because it will significantly improve connections and service from the NEC to VA and NC and should bring SC and GA into the HSR picture.
jim Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 5:29 pm
Yes, there is funding to extend a single regional currently terminating at Richmond to Norfolk. But the work required to enable multiple frequencies at 90 mph between Petersburg and Norfolk is somewhere between 3 and 4 times the cost of enabling this single frequency at 79 mph. So the state funding could, conceivably, be used as the state match to federal funding which would achieve much more than the state can manage on its own. There is a problem in getting more regionals extended south of Washington, but that’s a problem that has to be solved for SEHSR in general. Getting it solved in the context of Washington-Norfolk would make sense from the point of view of USDOT which wants independent utility from each of its interventions. Getting it solved requires negotiation with CSX, where Petersburg-Norfolk required negotiation with NS. In general, NS has been more accommodating to higher speed passenger rail than CSX, just as, in the West, BNSF has been easier to deal with than UP.
While the NEPA status of all Virginia projects is murky to say the least, it appears that going through Richmond Main Street will require an Environmental Assessment which hasn’t been done. At least Centralia to Norfolk, there is a draft Tier I EIS which has been through public comment and a locally preferred alternative selected. The ball is in FRA’s court, there. Spot capacity improvements between Washington and Centralia would probably qualify for Categorical Exclusions.
J. Wong Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 10:36 am
New York Times article What Undid Obama’s Florida High-Speed Rail Plan
Ben Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 11:26 am
You should watch the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s hearing about attracting private investment for passenger rail. Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL) was absolutely (rightly so) irrate at Gov. Rick Scott’s turning down $2.4B in federal money for this project. As a California native, I thank Mr. Scott for any money CA might get but it is absolutely absurd he ignored the FL DOT study showing the service would be profitable and turned down the money only after reading the Reason Foundation, Inc. propoganda. This is like making decisions on public health after consulting with Phillip Morris.
wu ming Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
or decisions on energy after consulting with oil, “clean” coal and nuclear industry lobbyists. or health insurance after consulting with health insurance corporations.
oh, wait.
In other news, Amtrak sets records (again):
http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/hotline/more/hotline_697/
D. P. Lubic Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 5:31 pm
In another story, history repeats itself, as American trolleys find a second home in Argentina:
http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=31005
According to CNN, four trains in Japan have not been accounted for and are “missing.”
quashlo Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 6:16 pm
One has already been accounted for, on the Senseki Line. 9 passengers were rescued this morning. There is technically a fifth train, a freight train that derailed in Miyagi due to the tsunami.
Spokker Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
CNN Report: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2011/03/11/exp.arena.japan.quake.minamisoma.cnn?hpt=C2
1) Why is everybody concerned over Japan spending money on our HSR system? For them it would be an investment with the intention of making money off that investment is not throwing money down a rabbit hole like we seem to do with our military.
2) We are likely to get the money because as noted by HuffPost, we are the only ones with the proposed 220mph system and it would be a showcase of how to do HSR in America. When we connect this with 30 in 10 to extend and upgrade LA’s light rail system, we would have a 21st Century rail system, tops in the country.
We are likely to have bid for the money already and they will just draw it out long enough to make it interesting.
Its as good as ours.
tony d. Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 9:19 am
Agreed Anthony. There’s no evidence whatsoever that Japan won’t still invest in our HSR because of the terrible earthquake and tsunami.
Hurrican Katrina didn’t stop us from investing in overseas wars or infrastructure in Afghanistan.
Very pathetic that the naysayers are using this tragedy to enhance their anti-HSR position.
wu ming Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
i think people are not quite aware of how big the japanese economy is, or how relatively remote the areas that got hit the hardest are. had tokyo been at the epicenter, yeah, those responses would have been spot on, but the destruction along northeast coast is not going to cripple japan.
Peter Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Unless the nuclear meltdown gets worse.
Paulus Magnus Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Worst case scenario, you have a partial or total meltdown of the core contained within the containment dome, similar to Three Mile Island, with no major damage outside. The reason Chernobyl was so bad was because the idiot Soviets, in addition to almost deliberately designing the reactor to fail, didn’t build a containment dome around it.
wu ming Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 2:47 pm
the meltdown’s still out near fukushima/sendai. were all this happening in the greater tokyo or osaka areas, japan would be in far greater trouble. not to diminish the catastrophe that is a meltdown anywhere in the country, but it’s not going to outstrip the state of japan’s budget, or cripple its economy. regionally, it could be very bad for sendai, which has already had the crap pounded out of it.
To any of the people at CARRD (Elizabeth or Nadia),
Can you please post a copy of your statement released/read during a South County Joint Planning Advisory Committee meeting Thursday night in Morgan Hill?
Nadia Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 8:55 pm
It is here:
http://www.calhsr.com/uncategorized/gilroy-high-speed-rail-station-comparative-visioning-document/
peninsula Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
I don’t understand how any local laws, zonings, ordinances, multi-jurisdictional agreements, etc have ANY relevence to anything. CHSRA has deemed that they override all. If they want to tear down city hall and build a 100,000 space parking lot, so be it. So it is written, so it shall be.
TM 2.2.2
“The CHSTP design standards and guidelines may differ from local jurisdictions’ codes and
standards. Because the Authority is an agency of the state government, development of facilities
within the state’s right-of-way should fall under the jurisdiction of the Division of the State
Architect (DSA) and the State Fire Marshall along with input and coordination with local
jurisdictions. In the case of differing values on work outside of the state-owned right-of-way,
conflicts in the various requirements for design, or discrepancies in application of the design
standards, the criteria followed shall be that which results in the highest level of satisfaction for all
requirements or that is deemed as the most appropriate by the California High-Speed Rail
Authority (Authority).”
Nadia Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 5:26 pm
the question in this case is whether VTA money and the City of Gilroy can use money to study building something in an area that Gilroy and others have agreed NOT to build in. Also, the East 101 alignment and station were never studied in the Program EIR. Finally, the area being considered is actually in unincorporated Gilroy and thus really Santa Clara county. Who’s coordinating here?
Peter Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 5:48 pm
“Also, the East 101 alignment and station were never studied in the Program EIR.”
IRRELEVANT.
That’s the whole POINT of the segmented environmental review process. Things CHANGE, otherwise it wouldn’t be a PROCESS.
adirondacker12800 Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 6:00 pm
Get with the program Peter. When they like what is being done – once every blue moon – the process is wonderful. When they don’t like what is being done… the process is wonderful because they can then throw all sorts of objections up.
Just ran across this – “Here in Fresno, a planned meeting with Japanese officials who were set to discuss California’s High-Speed Rail system had to cut their trip short in light of their homeland’s catastrophe…………………….
At the request of the Japanese Council in San Francisco, a delegation from the Mitsubishi Research Institute was in Fresno Friday, planning on touring the proposed starting point for the state’s bullet train………………….
The group had come to Fresno following a meeting with Fresno Works last month in which Perea says they “…wanted to come to Fresno to look at the High-Speed Rail starting point so that they can begin preparing their proposal to the United States and California to build the High-Speed Rail”.”
The info was buried in the middle of this article:
http://www.kmjnow.com/pages/landing_news?Japan-Tries-to-Avoid-Post-Quake-Nuke-Mel=1&blockID=438189&feedID=806
VBobier Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
It’s only natural for them to suspend their current activities in light of this disaster, They’ll be back as they wouldn’t have come If they didn’t think that money couldn’t be made. People are People, No matter where they live on the planet, Americans are no exception, As Americans are no different, If theirs money to be made, then things will happen.
But then our Interstate system has never been profitable, Nor was It ever meant to be so, Otherwise they’d be toll roads and not so called Freeways, Which aren’t free, Taxes(Local, State & Federal) pay for their construction and their up keep.
Useless Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
JR Tohoku(JR East to you)’s Tohoku Shinkansen is down, and no estimate on when the service could resume. They would have to check and repair the entire length of Tohoku Shinkansen tracks before the service could resume, and that could take months.
quashlo Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 6:41 pm
JR East = JR Higashi-Nihon
There is no JR Tōhoku.
Just a small update for everyone else:
They have already reopened the Jōetsu and Nagano Shinkansen as of March 12 16:04, about 25 hours after the suspension of service when the earthquake struck. This was also after a series of tremblors up to M6 in the Nagano and Jōetsu regions in the late evening of March 11. Tōhoku Shinkansen will take longer, as they’ve only just starting the process of inspecting all the infrastructure. North of Tochigi there are many sections where they have yet to start this work due to inability to access the site or inability to mobilize local staff (some of the railway’s branch offices were also damaged, have no power, and only have intermittent communication with HQ). Most of the damage that has been found thus far is related to overhead systems (toppled masts, etc.) and columns (spalling, cracking).
James Fujita Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 8:17 pm
for what it’s worth, expressways in the Tohoku region are also closed and flights aren’t getting out of Sendai, either. so it’s not really fair to focus on the Shinkansen.
Useless Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
@ James Fujita
No one’s blaming JR East and Shinkansen for this disaster. However, this disaster makes it exceedingly difficult for JR East and Japanese government to participate in California HSR project.
We are taking about nuclear melt-downs, a whole city disappearing off the map with 70% of its resident, 300K people displaced, oil refineries and chemical plants exploding, etc.
Basically think Tokyo 1923.
Jack Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
Keep repeating this to yourself and eventually it will be true.
Useless Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 8:38 pm
@ Jack
I don’t have to. They are true.
Peter Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
That’s what you get for listening to the news media, who always get everything right…
Useless Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 10:12 pm
@ quashlo
Thank for correcting me.
However, damages to Tohoku Shinkansen corridor isn’t just some power lines; viaducts and tunnels are heavily affected by this disaster and they all have to be repaired and inspected, this is why JR East says they don’t know when the corridor could be back in service, just not anytime soon.
Worse problem is that the melting nuclear reactors are near the Tohoku Shinkansen corridor and the region could be closed for years in the worst case scenario of a Chernobyl-style radioactive contamination.
Spokker Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
The difference between Chernobyl and Fukushima I is that Chernobyl was basically a piece of shit Soviet reactor and Fukushima is a first world reactor. Chernobyl didn’t even have a containment vessel.
There will be consequences but it won’t be “Chernobyl-style.”
James Fujita Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 10:40 pm
Japan is not the Soviet Union. Chernobyl lacked safety measures and containment structures in place at Fukushima. There are multiple reactors at Fukushima, and they are not all at risk of meltdown. Partial melting is suspected at one, but not the others.
Spokker Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 10:43 pm
Goddamn, people are so enamored with nuclear holocaust scenarios that they go insane when they think one is about to happen. You’ve got idiots spreading that the thing is going to explode like an atomic bomb. Here’s a great picture that’s being spread around to fuel hysteria: http://www.beyondnuclear.org/storage/post-images/fukushima%20fallout.jpg
Three Mile Island also experienced a partial meltdown and the only damage was in the form of anecdotal claims that “My Cousin Vinny got cancer from dat thing there. No foolin’.”
Look, if Japan becomes Fallout 3, I’ll owe you a Coke.
James Fujita Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 10:54 pm
Thank you, Spokker. I highly doubt that you will be owing anyone a Coke.
I’m not a huge fan of nuclear power, but at least I recognize that there are all sorts of ways that a nuclear plant can be operated safely, and even in the event of an emergency, there are ways to prevent it from becoming a disaster.
Japan is a huge consumer of nuclear power, and they have safety procedures in place. I’ve been keeping careful eye on the news, and while it sounds scary, my thoughts keep turning to the guy on NPR this afternoon who said that there were seven types of power plant scenarios, with Chernobyl at 7 and Three Mile Island as a 4.
He described Fukushima as a 3, maybe a 4. He said this as Japanese engineers were working around the clock to cool down what could be cooled down, venting what needed to be vented, releasing pressure, even flooding it with seawater to prevent a disaster.
Any nuclear fallout speculation at this point is craven fearmongering.
Spokker Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 10:35 pm
Sendai airport isn’t opening anytime soon either.
California & the US Government spends too much money on programs that Republicans in power just don’t like, Here are some Examples: HSR, SSI(Supplemental Security Income), SSR(Social Security Retirement), SSDI(Social Security Disability Insurance), Medicaid(Medi-Cal in Calif), Medicare, EPA, FDA, FTC, FCC, DOT, DOE, FBI, HUD, USAID, etc, etc. Do I think We spend too much on the above? No, In some areas I think We spend too little… As It seems to be a Defund this or Defund that cause some of their weirdo supporters don’t like this or that program.
Of course they like Freeways(which are rooted in the Autobahns of Germany which were created by the 3rd Reich of NAZI Germany back in the 1930′s), But they won’t fund anything properly…
Outside of Defense that is and then We outspend everyone on this and Republicans would rather spend more on this, Much more in their paranoia, It’s one thing to help someone like in Libya or Japan where It’s needed, But It’s quite another to fund Defense to a level of absurdity, Just cause some can.
VBobier you just wait them out, when America finds out all they (Republicans) want to do is Culture War BS and not do anything to create actual well paying jobs it will be “Throw The Bums” out again and put the Dems back in charge because at least they will spend money on infrastructure.
The differences is we’ll carefully watch what Dems say what.
I’ve been saying for awhile well since the health care debate, that our tent is too big. We need to get rid of conserva-Dems and Pro Life Dems they just distract us from the hard work that needs to be done.
Oh not only that their are two faced, they’ll be against it, for it and come election time they’ll be against it again. Witness RomeyCare…