Sen. Feinstein cheers Gov. Brown’s High-Speed Rail plan

April 12, 2012

By Brian Calle

It does not come as a big surprise that Democratic Sen. Diane Feinstein supports Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown’s revised plan for the boondoggle High-Speed Rail project that would cost taxpayers billions of dollars. What is telling, however, is that the senator cautioned about the availability of federal funds to complete the project.

Addressing media in Sacramento on Tuesday, Feinstein said, “Do I think it’s doable? Yes. Do I think it’s doable with all the bells and whistles? No,” referring to the rail project.

Feinstein’s remarks, whether intended or unintended, signal a larger challenge for backers of the High-Speed Fail, er, Rail. That is, if federal support for the project is in fact limited and political support for the project in Washington is waning, the project could be dead sooner rather than later.

As reported by the Sacramento Bee, “The revised high-speed rail plan unveiled by the Brown administration late last month relies heavily on federal dollars, counting on $41.9 billion of the projected $68 billion needed for the project coming from the federal government.”

Without federal dollars, Brown’s plan will fail despite Sen. Feinstein’s cheers.