The Obama administration is urging Wisconsin's incoming Republican governor, Scott Walker, to reconsider his opposition to high-speed rail in his state and threatened to rescind $810 million in federal stimulus grants for the project if the venture is killed.
For the Record, Walker sought to prove his teabagger cred when he picked this fight.
"I am drawing a line in the sand Mr. President: No matter how much money you and Governor Doyle try to spend before the end of the year, I will put a stop to this boondoggle the day I take office."
http://www.scottwalker.org/...
In a letter to Walker yesterday, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood discussed what he called a "difference of opinion about the value of a Midwest high-speed rail network" between the Obama administration and the incoming governor, emphasizing economic benefits that high-speed rail could bring to the region.
Walker, who is currently the county executive of Milwaukee County, campaigned heavily against a proposed high-speed line to link Milwaukee and Madison that would eventually be part of a Midwest network. Decrying the project as a waste of tax dollars, he has called for the cash to be redistributed to highway and bridge repairs in his state.
But LaHood said the stimulus grants must be spent on rail projects.
"I respect the power of governors to make decisions for their states," Mr. LaHood wrote to Mr. Walker. "There seems to be some confusion, however, about how these high-speed rail dollars can be spent. For this reason, I would like to set the record straight: None of the money provided to Wisconsin may be used for road or highway projects, or anything other than high-speed rail. Consequently, unless you change your position, we plan to engage in an orderly transition to wind down Wisconsin's project so that we do not waste taxpayers' money."
WSJ
Satya1 has more here
Seems this is becoming a "trend" story
UPDATE I: Illinois says, Send it to us!
State Sen. Jeffrey Schoenberg (D-Evanston) said he would work with other lawmakers to persuade the U.S. Department of Transportation to transfer the money to Illinois. He also would like to see trainmaker Talgo, Inc. move here. Talgo has said it can’t promise to stay in Milwaukee if the state rejects the rail project.
"If the new governor of Wisconsin is overwhelmed by $800 million of federal funds, we’d be happy to take that burden off his back," Schoenberg said.
http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/...
UPDATE II: Walker doubles down
Governor-elect Scott Walker says he remains opposed to a high speed rail line from Milwaukee to Madison, despite the fact that the U.S. government says the federal funding for the project could not be redirected to roads and bridges.
http://www.wuwm.com/...
