Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Good For The Obama Administration

I realize that hell just froze over, but the Obama administration has done something good for Nevada/California.
From the LVRJ: A Las Vegas firm’s application for a $5.5 billion federal loan to build a high-speed railroad to Southern California was shelved in part because it failed to meet “Buy America” rules.
XPressWest executives went back and forth with officials from the Department of Transportation to salvage the loan bid, proposing to rework its contracting and corporate structure in response to a range of concerns raised by evaluators.
But then-Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the company’s most recent proposal, on May 20, was not accompanied by documentation that further could be evaluated, and he decided to halt the loan review after 2½ years.
“After several years of engagement with no resolution to the threshold issues addressed in this letter and the significant uncertainties still surrounding this project, we have decided to suspend further consideration of XPressWest’s loan request,” LaHood said in a letter sent June 28 to XPressWest Chairman Tony Marnell.
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., a major booster of the project, said Friday there was still a chance of federal backing for the major transportation project. An XPressWest spokeswoman said the company understood the project still was being reviewed.
A Transportation Department official said Tuesday evening he was uncertain how to respond.
“The loan application of XpressWest is suspended and no longer under consideration,” said Kevin Thompson, associate administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. “How XpressWest chooses to proceed is really up to them.”  http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/traffic-transportation/feds-xpresswest-failed-meet-buy-america-rules-high-speed-train
This choo-choo train was bound to be a boondoggle, from the cost to the location in California (Victorville) to the certainty of a government subsidy, this idea was a horrible idea.
So, good for the Obama administration for standing up to Senile/Coward/Liar Harry Reid and killing this project.

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