Hearing
Continued Oversight of the California High-Speed Rail ProjectThe San Francisco Federal Building, 90 7th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, Room B040This is a field hearing of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, chaired by U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA). Summary of the Subject Matter Official Field Hearing Transcript The multi-billion dollar California high-speed rail project is the largest in the administration’s High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail program funded, in large part, by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). California voters first approved a bond measure in 2008 to help finance what was then estimated to be a $33 billion project connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles with high-speed rail service; however, since then the project’s business plan and cost estimates have undergone dramatic changes. Projected cost estimates have risen to as high as $118 billion, and now the business plan no longer calls for full high-speed service all the way into San Francisco or Los Angeles. Furthermore, expected revenue from the state’s cap and trade program, needed to help fund the project, is not meeting expectations. To date, the project has received nearly $4 billion in federal funding. This oversight hearing will examine the status and evolving scope of the project, and what levels of federal and state support could be necessary in order to see the project to completion. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) on Monday, August 29, 2016, in Room B040 of the San Francisco Federal Building, 90 7th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. This hearing is open to the public. Members of the media, please RSVP to Keith.Hall@mail.house.gov or Justin.Harclerode@mail.house.gov or call 202-225-9446. Witness List: |