Sacramento – With a blanket of signed petitions in favor of high-speed
rail before them and banners behind them, CALPIRG staff and volunteers
stood outside the California State Capitol building Monday and called
for the passage of AB 3034 (Galgiani), a bill to update and strengthen
the high-speed rail bond measure already on the November ballot.
The
bill is scheduled for a vote in Senate Appropriations today, and if
passed by the committee, could go straight to the full Senate floor for
a vote today as well. “Passing
AB 3034 is putting the best foot forward for high-speed rail this
November,” said Emily Rusch, CALPIRG Advocate. “It’s just good public
policymaking to give the voters an updated ballot measure, and so we
urge all legislators to support the bill.”
Changes to the high-speed rail bond measure in AB 3034 include:
- -Refers to updated documents: Refers to the 2005 Environmental Report,
instead of the High-Speed Rail Authority’s business plan from 2000.
Also requires the High-Speed Rail Authority to have an updated 2008
business plan by October.
- -Further environmental
protections: Limits total number of station stops to twenty-four, which
prevents new stations over time that could increase sprawl and slow
trip times. The bill specifically prohibits a station in Los Banos
because of environmental concerns in that region.
- -More oversight: Establishes a new peer review panel that the legislature and governor’s office help appoint.
- -Accountability in bond spending: Still limits state funds to 50 percent
of each segment. Requires that segments that raise the most funding
from external sources get priority for bond funds, and that the
segments have detailed funding plans before they receive bond funds.
- -Allows funding to go to segments of the 800-mile system other than just the segments connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles, although funding is still prioritized for that segment. The planned 800-mile system also includes segments to Sacramento, through Riverside to San Diego, and a regional rail line in the EastBay.
“As
our population grows we’ll need more transportation options,” said
Rusch. “High-speed rail is cleaner and cheaper than the highway lanes
and new airport expansions we’ll need without it. With gas prices
skyrocketing and an urgent need to solve global warming, California can’t wait any longer to get the train in motion.”
