In light of CA's funding situation (let's face it, the state is in deep trouble), the cost estimate mess, and so forth, two very unpleasant questions come to mind:
1) What are the odds that the wheels come off the program there? I do not like this prospect, but it seems like an increasing risk. Of course, I'm hopeful that if there's one good thing to come out of Jerry Brown's time in office, it'll at least be an HSR line down the Central Valley (which will do most of the work of the line).
2) If CAHSR melts down, is there some way that a request could be "stage managed" to at least get the "no match" funds out the back door in a hurry to either cover SEHSR/VA's HSR (both of which are floating around in Tier II of the process), something major in upstate NY, something major in IL, or something else? I'd be thinking that the states would almost need to be handed a "file this request" packet to hand right back in...but of course, if Obama was willing to do it (*sigh*), he could probably arrange to waive out the Tier II EIS on one or more projects.
1) What are the odds that the wheels come off the program there? I do not like this prospect, but it seems like an increasing risk. Of course, I'm hopeful that if there's one good thing to come out of Jerry Brown's time in office, it'll at least be an HSR line down the Central Valley (which will do most of the work of the line).
2) If CAHSR melts down, is there some way that a request could be "stage managed" to at least get the "no match" funds out the back door in a hurry to either cover SEHSR/VA's HSR (both of which are floating around in Tier II of the process), something major in upstate NY, something major in IL, or something else? I'd be thinking that the states would almost need to be handed a "file this request" packet to hand right back in...but of course, if Obama was willing to do it (*sigh*), he could probably arrange to waive out the Tier II EIS on one or more projects.