President Obama's six-year, $53 billion high speed rail funding proposal must overcome stiff opposition of a skeptical Republican congress, particularly by House Transportation Chair John Mica who referenced swindler Bernie Madoff in his response.
"(T)he (funding) initiative first must pass through Congress, where negative early reviews came from U.S. Reps. John Mica, R-Winter Park, (FL) chairman of the powerful House Transportation Committee, and Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the Railroads Subcommittee.
Mica likened the plan, announced by Vice President Joe Biden, to "giving Bernie Madoff another chance at handling your investment portfolio."
"Government won't develop American high-speed rail," Shuster said. "Private investment and a competitive market will."
That comment must have been heard by the California High Speed Rail Authority, the state most likely to receive the largest amount of the funding.
From Mercury News: Obama's $53 billion high-speed rail pledge could fund huge chunk of California's project: "... the rail authority late Tuesday (Feb. 8) scheduled an announcement for Wednesday to discuss new developments related to private-sector interest in California's high-speed rail project." The state hopes to receive $16 billion if the Federal Rail Administration continues to award about 30% of Federal grants to CA.
FULL STORY: Federal high-speed rail plan could spur Orlando-to-Miami link

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie