Railroad to Nowhere challenged
April 18, 2006 05:45 AM
The Washington Post today runs a story about Mississippi's$700 million Railroad to Nowhere:
Republican Sens. Trent Lott and Thad Cochran, who have the backing of their state's economic development agencies and tourism industry, say the CSX freight line must be moved to save it from the next hurricane and to protect Mississippi's growing coastal population from rail accidents. But critics of the measure call it a gift to coastal developers and the casino industry that would be paid for with money carved out of tight Katrina relief funds and piggybacked onto funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."It is ludicrous for the Senate to spend $700 million to destroy and relocate a rail line that is in perfect working order, particularly when it recently underwent a $250 million repair," said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who is planning to challenge the funding when the $106.5 billion war spending bill reaches the Senate floor. "American taxpayers are generous and are happy to restore damaged property, but it is wrong for senators to turn this tragedy into a giveaway for economic developers."
The rail line, which recently underwent a $250 million repair, is fully operational.
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» It Became Necessary to Destroy the Railroad... from A Stitch in Haste
...in order to save it?
Mississippi's two U.S. senators included $700 million in an emergency war spending bill to relocate a Gulf Coast rail ...[Read More]
But nowhere does it mention that the railroad right of way is desperately needed to move US Hwy. 90 away from the beach where it is presently and dangerously located. It is a move that is necessary.
It's absolutely necessary to create a new road exactly two blocks north of U.S 90? Call me crazy, but I don't think an additional two blocks is going to protect that road.
The $300 Million to repair CSX railroad should have been CSX funds, not taxpayer dollars so CSX could profit from our money. The issue of moving the tracks was only scratched on the surface in the ABC report on Pork. $700 Million is only drop in the bucket, and the personal financial gains by Sen. Lott and Sen. Cochran are not mentioned. The entire issue of moving the tracks and building an east-west connector road is purely self-serving to a handful of Casinos and the tourism groups. No gain to the Harrison County citizens. And, if you look a bit deeper, the new connector road is a road from nowhere to nowhere. In the interests of all taxpayers, this multi-billion dollar Pork Boondoggle should be completely exposed, including all of those who support and stand to gain financially from it.
Raymond--
The $300 million was CSX funds (or rather, a combination of CSX funds and their insurance money). I've read in various reports put out by Mississippi authorities that the total price tag for moving the tracks is in the $2 to $2.5 billion range, so agree with you on the $700 million figure being low (call it a downpayment). I'm curious to know more about how you think that Lott and Cochran stand to personally benefit from the project.