House Aims Ax at High-Speed Rail; a Florida Rail RINO Charges On

Submitted by Anonymous on February 19, 2011 - 6:42pm

Voters in Florida's 7th Congressional District should count out their representative, John Mica, when it comes to voting down high-speed rail funding.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers wants to rescind $7.25 billion in unspent HSR-stimulus money as part of an ongoing federal budget reduction.

But Mica, an old-guard Republican who heads the House Transportation Committee, is going in the opposite direction with a plan to circumvent Gov. Rick Scott's rejection of $2.4 billion in HSR-stimulus funds.

Mica would turn over a drastically downsized project to local entities to build a 21-mile spur connecting Orlando International Airport and the Disney attractions. But with the state owning a portion of that corridor, Mica's plan may go nowhere.

Plus: To earn HSR dollars, a train must, in fact, be high-speed. A 21-mile intra-city shuttle would never hit the 180 mph required. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is reportedly and rightfully unimpressed.

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