With two newly elected Midwestern governors entering office on platforms opposing high-peed passenger train projects in their states, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is telling the federal government that he would be happy to take their money.
The new Republican governors of Ohio and Wisconsin oppose high-speed rail projects developed under their predecessors. The states have been approved for more than $1 billion in federal high-speed rail grants.
Republican Schwarzenegger, in a letter Tuesday to U.S, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, said he would be happy to take it for California’s ambitious high-speed rail plan to build a bullet train system linking Los Angeles and San Francisco.
“If other states refuse your support, we would certainly welcome their shares — particularly as we continue to demonstrate how well those dollars will be spent in our great state,” Schwarzenegger wrote.
