The Obama Administration finally gave its formal approval to the California High-Speed Rail Authority to begin construction of the high-speed railway beginning in the Central Valley. The approval, which came in the form of a formal “record of decision” from the Federal Railroad Administration, gives the green light to the Authority to begin acquiring hundreds
Central Valley
Kings County Sues To Derail California’s High-Speed Rail Project
Unlike most of California’s Central Valley counties, such as Merced and Fresno, which have consistently supported the High Speed Rail (“HSR”) project, Kings County has been openly opposed to the plan to construct a high speed rail through its fertile farmland. That opposition reached a flashpoint yesterday as Kings County, and two Kings County…
DOGGR Supervisor, Elena Miller, Has Been Removed
After intense lobbying from Central Valley legislators and the oil and gas exploration and production industry, on November 3, 2011, Governor Jerry Brown removed Elena Miller as Supervisor of the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) within the Department of Conservation. Appointed in 2009, Miller’s tenure as the DOGGR Supervisor has been plagued…
High-Speed Rail Authority Applies for Additional Federal Funds to Extend Starter Segment in Central Valley
Late last week, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (“Authority”) approved the submission of an additional funding application to the Federal Railroad Administration (“FRA”) that would, if approved, extend the “starter” segment of the High-Speed Rail Project (“HSR”) north to Merced and south to downtown Bakersfield, making the segment fully operational after construction. The first segment…