U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) released the following statement concerning the California High Speed Rail Authority’s groundbreaking ceremony Jan. 6 in Fresno:
“California voters were promised jobs, ridership numbers, speeds and costs that look nothing like the current proposal. The authority promised taxpayers a shovel-ready project when it took more than $3 billion in federal tax dollars. There is simply no way the authority will meet the 2017 deadline to spend the stimulus funding, a failure 10 years in the making. It’s hard to celebrate breaking ground on what is likely to become abandoned pieces of track that never connect to a useable segment.”