The world has changed. Just a few years ago, many people thought that high-speed rail development here was just a dream. Now, it's moving to reality. President Obama has made high-speed rail development his No. 1 national transportation priority, 50 years after President Eisenhower advanced the build-out of the nation's interstate highway system.
This is leading to a structural transformation of our transportation system that will improve mobility with a new modern, fast, comfortable and convenient transportation option for everyone. It will create jobs and spur economic growth by pulling together the regional economy. It will protect our environment through less pollution, reducing congestion, and counteracting sprawl by pulling jobs, people and businesses downtown into our central cities.
But as with any change, there are critics.
Some have argued that high-speed rail will require public subsidies — an argument that would be far more convincing if taxpayers weren't already sinking billions into roads and airports. Despite the money we spend on gas taxes, the Highway Trust Fund required an $8 billion taxpayer bailout in 2008 and another $7 billion in 2009. That's just the highways; local roads are paid for with billions in property taxes each year. We pay for flying. The Federal Aviation Administration receives roughly $3 billion per year from the US Treasury's General Fund. And then there's the $15 billion bailout the airlines got after 9/11. And for that we get the pleasure of hours stuck on the tarmac.
They've argued that America doesn't have the population density necessary for rail to succeed as it does in Europe. But this ignores the fact that America's population isn't evenly spread like peanut butter. Rather, we're clustered in mega-regions in the Northeast, Midwest, California, etc. — precisely those regions where high-speed rail projects are now advancing.
And, they've said taxpayer investments are wrong because some people will never take the train. But one in five adult Americans has never flown. Does that mean we should close the airports? High-speed rail doesn't just benefit the traveler — it benefits the communities it serves through jobs and economic development.
High-speed rail is good for jobs and our economy, good for the environment, and good for people and our communities. Let's get on board.
Kevin Brubaker
Deputy Director
Environmental Law & Policy Center (www.elpc.org)
