Transportation Secretary LaHood talks high-speed rail in Fresno visit
| Wednesday, Feb 08 2012 08:21 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Feb 08 2012 08:23 PM
FRESNO -- America's top transportation official offered a spirited defense of high-speed rail plans Wednesday, but said that he and other supporters are aware of "serious concerns that people may have."
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood talked to reporters after a downtown Fresno meeting with business owners, including some whose buildings would be displaced by California's plans for high-speed trains through the valley connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles. Later, he planned to meet with farmers and ranchers before heading to Sacramento to talk with state legislators.
LaHood's visit to the San Joaquin Valley comes one day after Kern County supervisors voted to oppose the state's high-speed rail plans. That county joins Kings, Tulare and Madera counties and several cities.
LaHood said he's not bothered by the shifting opinions.
"The reason we came here is to listen to people," he said. "Anytime you do big things, they are always going to be controversial. There will always be those who have their objections. Our job is to understand the concerns and work to mitigate those."
The federal government has allocated about $3.5 billion in economic stimulus and transportation money to California's plan, provided that construction begin in the San Joaquin Valley. To qualify for the money, California must pony up about $2.8 billion in matching funds and complete the first 130-mile leg from Madera to Bakersfield by 2017.
