Sacramento, CA
– Proposition 1A, the “Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act”, has
gained the endorsement of some of California’s
most active environmental and good government organizations.
“High-speed rail is not only cleaner and faster than travel
alternatives, it will also cost less to build than the highway and airport
expansions we’ll need without it. High-speed rail systems are a proven
technology that will reduce traffic and our dependence on oil, while
simultaneously creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs throughout the
state,” said Kevin Powers, Field Organizer with CALPIRG.
“We’re invested in making sure
that the Bay Area is a place we want to live in 30 years from now,” said Carli
Paine, Transportation Program Director for the Transportation and Land Use
Coalition. “A high-speed train system that reduces our global warming
pollution, infuses our local transit systems with thousands of new riders every
day, and revitalizes downtowns is key to a sustainable California. We can't afford not to build
high-speed rail!"
“Sierra Club supports Proposition 1A because a zero-emission
high-speed train system will cut global warming pollution and help Californians
move around without getting stuck in crowded airports and congested freeways,”
said Bill Magavern, the Director of Sierra Club California. “Proposition 1A will save costly
fuel and promote sustainable land use and urban revitalization. The California
Air Resources Board projects that a high-speed rail system would reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by a million metric tons in 2020. By 2030, when the
whole system is in place, high-speed rail travel is anticipated to reduce California's greenhouse
gas emissions by up to 6 million tons per year.”
"Environmental voters know
that viable high-speed rail connecting Northern and Southern California
is an essential component of California's
transportation future," said Anthony Rendon, Interim Executive Director of
the California League of Conservation Voters. "A high-speed rail system
throughout
California would deliver an estimated 117 million travelers into
downtowns well-served by local transit, all while reducing the state's
greenhouse gas emissions and protecting sensitive habitats. By replacing car
and airplane trips with rail trips, high-speed rail will help California achieve the greenhouse gas
reductions outlined in the landmark AB 32 legislation."
The California League of Women
Voters and the American Lung Association of California have also recently
endorsed Proposition 1A.
