Support Solutionary Rail

ByBillMoyer
Feature Backbone Images
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URGENT: Is one of your WA State Legislators on the House Appropriations Committee?
(ALSO – See Solutionary Rail article at Crosscut.com)

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Friends, Solutionary Rail is one of those rare projects that is nearly bullet-proof for interests across the State regardless of political affiliation. Agriculture, labor, municipalities, and environmentalists and more have reason to unite unite behind this common sense plan. A WSU team wants to do a feasibility study of our proposal. This proviso to allocate $250k for WSU study is in the House Appropriations Committee. Representative Larry Haler (R) has said he would bring this to the budget, but we need to have his back from both sides of the aisles to keep this about a win/win for all of Washington State.Please contact your legislators this coming week, or attend a town hall event this weekend. Here’s a Map of WA State Legislature Town Halls. Here’s an article in Crosscut about our effort and a link to a conference we are co-sponsoring with railroad workers next weekend in Olympia. Print out and bring a copy of the Solutionary Rail feasibility proviso and the new “Solutionary Rail “one-sheet” (front/back).

Language urging support for proviso:

Dear Representative _________ (Appropriations Committee member)

I urge you to take a close look at a budget proviso being offered by Rep. Haler to allocate $250,000 for WSU transport economists to conduct a study of the benefits and costs of a public-private partnership to electrify freight rail along the northern rail route from Seattle to Chicago, allowing higher speed transport of goods to market.

This study would explore the feasibility of a Steel-Interstate Infrastructure Development Authority to use public bonding authority in a public-private partnership with BNSF to make infrastructure improvements to this important rail route.

Bringing this rail route into the 21st century will have important positive benefits for Washington’s agriculture, manufacturing, ports and other of sectors of the Washington State economy. It will also benefit Washington’s municipalities, tribes and workers. The study would determine potential tax-payer savings on highway infrastructure through diversion of freight transport from roads to rails and the potential for increased development and transmission of renewable electric power in the right-of-way. It would also help achieve State climate goals and stimulate rural economic vitality.

Below is a list of the members of the House Appropriations Committee. These are the folks we need to focus on to get a proviso into the budget.

Thank you for doing what you can. This is a pivotal moment for Solutionary Rail, when a few people could make a huge difference. Please send me an email report on what calls, emails or other contact you made.

In Gratitude & Collaboration,

Bill Moyer
Executive Director
Backbone Campaign
o. 206-408-8058
c. 206-356-9980

 

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