RE: Support HSR TxDOT Rider

I’m writing to you today to request your support for the HSR TxDOT Rider in the Senate Budget to help protect private property rights and our State resources. Given recent developments of a court ruling that the currently proposed private HSR project is, in fact, not a railroad or interurban electric rail, as well as the project having no federal or state approval to construct or operate an HSR, this rider keeps in place the identical rider from last session and adds two important layers of protection for our State resources.

First, it ensures that federal approval is granted for the project before TxDOT is permitted to use funds to regulate or coordinate this project. This keeps our State protected from what happened in California. The project there began construction on private property without approval to construct on public property, as they were thinking the project would get far enough along that they wouldn’t be able to stop…”too big to fail.” But all federal support for the California project was just pulled. Let’s protect our State resources from the same disaster.

Secondly, despite the rider from last session, TxDOT has worked over 1000 hours on this unauthorized HSR project. The company promoting the project has stated in court that it cannot complete its project without eminent domain. Given the recent ruling in Leon County, TxDOT should not commit either time or state highway ROW to a project that, as of today, cannot be completed.

I urge you to join Senators Birdwell, Kolkhorst and Nichols in protecting the citizens of Texas and our State resources from being wasted on a project that does not have proper approvals or authority to actually materialize.

Respectfully,