By Robbie Hunter/State Building and Construction Trades Council of California via Labor’s Edge Blog
California urgently needs high speed rail now. The nay-sayers are still searching for reasons to delay this great public works project further, but they are out of excuses. The delays need to stop. It is time to move forward and begin building. The transportation needs, the workers and the dollars are there to get started.
Governor Brown has made the sensible suggestion to use cap-and-trade dollars for some of the funding. That makes sense because the very purpose of cap-and-trade is to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels–one of the greatest benefits high-speed mass transit rail will bring to California. Without question, providing electrified mass transit for the people of California will reduce our use of fossil fuels.
That’s in addition to the other obvious benefits of a cleaner and healthier environment, the easing of congestion on our highways and at our airports, the more efficient movement between our state’s population centers, and the immediate economic jolt of thousands of good construction jobs.
Simply put, California cannot afford not to do this. Our transportation system is already overtaxed and our population will reach 50 million by mid-century. High-speed rail is the only viable means of making sure our transportation infrastructure can meet our growing demand. Continuing to build more and more freeways and airports would be more expensive, more environmentally damaging, and less efficient. Ultimately, the cost of doing nothing will far exceed the cost of modernizing our rail system.
Other developed nations are using high-speed rail with tremendous results. We have learned from places like Spain, France, China, Japan and other countries that high-speed rail is the most efficient and preferred mode of transportation between population centers 100 to 500 miles apart. That is precisely the corridor California’s high-speed rail will serve. California and high-speed rail are made for each other.
We must remember that there are always up-front costs for getting a major project off the ground, whether a dam or bridge, factory or a college; there are costs up front followed by great benefits. If you don’t get started, you can never get where you want to be.
But, as we see once again, the opposition always dwells on those early costs. That’s why in 1932, there were over 2,000 lawsuits filed to try to stop the Golden Gate Bridge from being built, and many more opposing Hoover Dam. But those projects have proven their worth many times over, and continue to benefit us nearly a century later.
Now, high speed rail’s opponents seek to use the courts to slow the process by trying to block the state’s issuing of bonds on the grounds that the scope or purpose of the project has somehow changed since voters approved Proposition 1A in 2008. This makes no sense. Providing efficient mass transit up and down the state was the goal then, and it still is.
As language of the ballot summary spelled out, high-speed rail will provide long-distance commuters with a safe, convenient, affordable, and reliable alternative to driving and to high gas prices. It will reduce traffic congestion on the state’s highways and at the state’s airports. It will reduce California’s dependence on foreign oil. It will reduce air pollution and global warming greenhouse gases. And it, finally, will provide fast, time-saving connections between California’s major population hubs. All of those things were important when Californians approved the bond measure in 2008, and we and California’s Governor are staying true to the commitments spelled out in the ballot summary.
The Governor is to be commended on his leadership and resolve. Let your local Assembly and Senate representatives know that you agree. You can find your representatives at www.senate.ca.gov and www.assembly.ca.gov.
We have the funding to begin work now. California needs the economic, environmental, and quality-of-life benefits of high speed rail–now.
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This project has funding based on a lie. Almost everyone agrees that this will NOT be a high speed rail. Based on that, your comments regarding convenient and affordable transportation are flawed. This is the largest waste of tax payer’s money in recent history. Thankfully, to this point, the wasted money has been minimal. It’s time to pull the plug and focus on areas that will actually help Californians.
Alright then. Can you please tell me where college grads and retuning vets are going to get good jobs now. The vote happened year ago and the project has already begun with contract awarded. Are you going to be the one telling these people we just don’t like your already approved project and and we don’t have any others which are shovel ready. I would like to see you handle that crowd at the next rally with parent just trying to feed their families. It sounds like you have little knowledge on how infrastructure projects work. It takes ten year from inception, through environmental, design, bid and award just to go to construction of a federally funded 2 or 3 million bridge down the road from where you live.
California doesn’t just need HSR now. California needed HSR 30 years ago, before Prop 13, when we had the budget surplus to build it with.
California could have connected SF to LA to SD to Vegas back in the early 80s for a fraction of a fraction of what we are spending right now. We could have expanded the system to Redding, Tahoe, and Yosemite by now. We could have spearheaded a brand new HSR industry in America. Then Howard Jarvis happened.
It’s like the old chinese proverb. “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second-best time is right now.”
Define “need”. I travel to So Cal often and rarely encounter traffic congestion until I reach the grapevine. Also, your premise is flawed. Nearly everyone has concluded this WILL NOT be a high speed rail. The original projection was to be able to get people from SF to LA in 2 1/2 hours. How many people would actually commute every day for a minimum of 5 hours? Someone should have asked that question before they put it on the ballot. As for travelers using the rail system for other purposes, what are they supposed to do when they reach their destination? Rent a car? The entire idea of it is cost prohibitive unless California is going to subsidize most of the operational cost. This rail idea stemmed from Gov. Brown’s trip to Japan several years ago. That is ACTUALLY a high speed rail and it is very expensive (over $100 one-way). Regarding the proverb, planting a tree isn’t an enormous waste of money; the HSR is.
This isn’t commuter rail. I think the only people who go from SF to LA every day for the job are flight attendants.
This was partially sold to the voters as a commuter.
And it is. It will travel and stop at many of the same stations used by CalTrain and MetroLink commuter trains.
Uh maybe. What do they do when they fly?
If the rail isn’t convenient and economical people won’t use it. People drive (versus fly) to/from SoCal because it is convenient. They won’t want to take a train that isn’t any faster than a normal train and then have to rent a car when they reach their destination.
Use zip car and HSR will also connect to existing heavy and light rail systems. Ride bikes:-)
zip car is a car rental company that got blind lefties to believe it had magical holy powers to save the environment, and some governments to subsidize its operations.
Electrified rail will only lessen our dependence on fossil fuels if the electricity is generated by renewables. Otherwise, the power plants generating the electricity will pump out the GHGs, instead of the cars. Same difference.
I think one train uses a lot less energy because the train will only haul the passengers and not use as much energy as hundreds of cars and SUVs making the trip. The train even has aerodynamics on its side. Most of those cars just have one passenger in them.
Good point.
“By Robbie Hunter/State Building and Construction Trades Council of California”
Can’t possibly have an honest impartial opinion when he is a lobbyist.
We cannot build our way out of the environmental crisis. I’m against any proposal that suggests the right thing to do is to build.
Better to spend time, money, resources on dismantling infrastructure than to try to produce our way out of this whether it’s searching for oil, fracking, raping tar sands, building dams, or even building windmills and solar panels. We need to be taking stuff down, not putting more up.
And, finally, the Hoover Dam has been a good thing? The Colorado River no longer reaches the sea. I don’t think murdering a river is a good thing.
Right now lake Powell and mead are only half full because there’s been a massive drought for 14 years. If we didn’t have these dams the area would be in truly dire straits.
Congratulations to the California High Speed Rail Authority awarding five contracts for a total $16 million with 1/2 million going to Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises. Not only will this help by creating so many new jobs over the next 4 years, the servicewomen and servicemen deserve this. Let’s all join together in helping all those who served our country return to good paying, highly skilled jobs…maybe even some union jobs! If you know of other good government or private sector jobs for those who are in need and deserving, please spread the word.
I’m afraid you are all avoiding the reality of a better solution:
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