Project Is Predicted to Bolster Tourism, Create 35,000 Good-Paying Jobs, Ease Traffic on Interstate-15 Annually, And Reduce More Than 400,000 Tons Of Carbon Emissions Each Year
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) led a bipartisan group of colleagues in a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation in strong support of Nevada’s recently submitted application to fund construction of a high-speed rail system between Las Vegas and Southern California, which will help bolster Southern Nevada’s tourism economy and reduce congestion in the Interstate-15 corridor. Brightline West estimates that its proposed high-speed rail project will remove 3 million cars from I-15 annually, reducing more than 400,000 tons of carbon emissions each year, while creating 35,000 good-paying jobs. Funding for the project would come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Senator Rosen helped write and pass.
The bipartisan group includes Representatives Steven Horsford (D-NV-04), Susie Lee (D-NV-03), Dina Titus (D-NV-01), Mark Amodei (R-NV-02), Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44), Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23), John Garamendi (D-CA-08), and Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34). Earlier this year, Senator Rosen sent a letter urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to stand ready to receive this application.
“We write to express our strong support of the Nevada Department of Transportation’s (NDOT) application to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant,” the Members of Congress wrote. “This unprecedented funding opportunity for intercity high-speed rail will unleash private investment at a critical moment for our nation, demonstrating the potential for public-private partnerships and planting a flag for American high-speed rail.”
“Brightline West will serve as a powerful example of the possibilities of high-speed rail for other cities and regions and is well-positioned to advance the U.S. Department of Transportation’s priorities related to multi-generational infrastructure investments, job creation, equity, and climate change resiliency and sustainability. High-speed rail connecting Nevada and California also has the potential to significantly increase visitors to both states, boosting travel and tourism across the region,” they continued.
The full letter can be found here.
Senator Rosen has been a strong supporter of Brightline’s high-speed rail project as a way to support Nevada’s tourism economy and ease transportation issues. Earlier this year, she applauded the announcement that Brightline and the Southern Nevada Building Trades Union had struck an agreement to ensure union labor was used in the building of the rail system.
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