FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 8, 2011 |
CONTACT: David Simon (202) 225-0123 |
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Statement of the Honorable Corrine Brown, Ranking Democrat Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials |
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(Washington, DC) - High Speed Rail Announcement Hello, I am Congresswoman Corrine Brown, the representative of Florida’s third congressional district. As the Ranking Member of the House Railroad subcommittee, I am simply ecstatic about President Obama’s call for $53 billion in funding for high speed rail in the upcoming six-year Transportation authorization bill! This is a great day for the nation, for the state of Florida, and an outstanding day for rail! For Florida - this additional federal funding will serve as a tremendous boost for our state’s plans to implement high speed rail. We now need the partnership of Florida DOT and local government funding to match the federal government’s commitment to keep this project moving forward. This partnership cannot be overlooked, since Florida could have funding taken away as well without state support of this project. With the unemployment rate at 12% in our state, this investment in our state’s infrastructure comes at a most critical time. With this funding, Florida’s economy can begin to reverse this trend. As I always say, federal transportation and infrastructure funding is essential to job creation; and for every $1 billion invested in infrastructure projects, over 42,000 well paying jobs are created. There is a rail renaissance taking place in America, and I am glad to be leading the charge in Congress. As we develop the next 6 year transportation reauthorization bill this session, I will be fighting to have a strong and comprehensive rail title that includes a dedicated funding source for rail. Certainly, the $53 billion for HSR being proposed today by President Obama will assist our efforts in making this funding a reality. I have ridden on high speed rail systems in Spain, France, Italy, Germany and in Asia, and look forward to the day when I can ride a high speed rail train right here in the great state of Florida! Our new high speed rail system is a win-win, creating jobs and preparing the state for the future. I would also like to applaud Vice President Biden, Amtrak Joe, for his commitment and advocacy for high speed rail. In closing, this is a great beginning, and will serve as a tremendous boost for our nation’s transportation system, allowing us to compete globally. The United States was the first nation to utilize the train system, and I am so glad that President Obama, Vice President Biden, and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood included high speed rail in the President’s budget, and are making it a top priority. And Florida is poised to be one of the major partners in this endeavor. With this investment, the United States will regain our position and no longer be the caboose of commuter and high speed rail! And Florida has already made a significant investment in both high speed and commuter rail and I look forward to our state having the first intermodal high speed rail system in the nation! |