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Kohl and Feingold call for stimulus funds for high-speed rail in Wisconsin
Published November 5, 2009 - BizTimes Daily
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Wisconsin Senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl are urging the Obama administration to support Wisconsin's proposal for high-speed passenger rail service from Milwaukee to Madison.
In a letter sent to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today, Feingold and Kohl stated their support for Wisconsin's request for federal funding to develop a high-speed passenger rail line to connect the state's two largest cities.
The senators said they support Wisconsin's "shovel-ready" proposal, which they said will create thousands of jobs, stimulate local economies, address traffic congestion and help the environment by reducing carbon dioxide emissions and gas usage.
"Expanding Wisconsin's high-speed passenger rail service would be a boon to our economy, helping to create jobs when we need them the most," Feingold said. "Wisconsin has been planning for this expansion for years and the state's shovel-ready proposal provides a common sense investment to create economic activity and also address longstanding problems like traffic congestion in a responsible way. I applaud Gov. (Jim) Doyle for his efforts and I will continue to work with the governor, Sen. Kohl and others to help make this a reality."
"I'm proud to join with my colleagues in fighting for Wisconsin's fair share of the federal stimulus dollars. A Milwaukee to Madison high-speed rail corridor has numerous benefits, including job creation, easing congestion and reducing harmful carbon emissions. This application is a strong first step toward realizing those benefits and represents the state's long-standing commitment to providing the best possible options for the traveling public," Kohl said.
The senators estimated a Milwaukee-to-Madison high-speed rail would create nearly 13,000 jobs in Wisconsin by 2013, reduce automobile trips by 7.8 million over 10 years, save an estimated 27.6 million gallons of fuel and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 269,000 tons.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the federal stimulus, has $8 billion in funding available to invest in high-speed rail across the country. Wisconsin is requesting $651.8 million in federal funds to develop the rail service.
The Wisconsin proposal would build off the existing Hiawatha Amtrak service that already links Milwaukee and Chicago by extending the service to Madison with additional stops in Brookfield, Oconomowoc and Watertown.
