High Speed Rail Affirmative 1ac – Energy Module (1/4)
Download 0.59 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- Don’t believe the Tea Party lies – polling proves California loves HSR
- Written in an effort to derail
- underwrote an exhaustive policy study
- California voters actually gave the bond issue a solid vote of approval.
- found
Elections – Plan PopularFunding Transportation Infrastructure popular and can swing elections – prefer ev about likely voters. HNTB ‘12 National highway survey polled a random nationwide sample of 1,024 Americans April 2-10, 2012. It was conducted by Kelton Research. Quotas were set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population ages 18 and over. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percent. HNTB Corporation is an employee-owned infrastructure firm serving public and private owners and contractors. With nearly a century of service, HNTB understands the life cycle of infrastructure and solves clients’ most complex technical, financial and operational challenges. “Americans value highways and bridges as a national treasure” – May 18th – http://www.hntb.com/news-room/news-release/americans-value-highways-and-bridges-as-a-national-treasure A new survey from HNTB Corporation finds two-thirds (66 percent) of Americans who intend to vote during this year's presidential election feel that a candidate's standing on American transportation infrastructure will influence their decision; more than one in five (22 percent) say this will be extremely influential on who they vote for. "Our highways, bridges and other transportation infrastructure are essential assets that support growth and investment in the U.S. economy," said Pete Rahn, HNTB leader national transportation practice. "People expect them to be resilient, reliable and safe." Clearly, Americans hold the nation's infrastructure in high regard. Nearly nine in ten (89 percent) Americans feel it’s important for the federal government to fund the maintenance and improvements of interstate highways. Yet, this infrastructure isn’t receiving the fiscal attention it deserves. Congress recently approved the ninth extension of transportation legislation that originally expired in 2009. The Highway Trust Fund – due to inflation, rising construction costs and increasingly fuel efficient vehicles – no longer collects enough money to support the U.S. surface transportation system, remaining solvent only through a series of infusions from federal general revenue funds. More than half of Americans (57 percent) believe the nation’s infrastructure is underfunded. The uncertainty over a long-term bill also is a challenge for state departments of transportation, which rely heavily on federal funding to support major highway and bridge programs, and creates ambiguity for planners and contractors who need the certainty of a long-term bill to commit to large, complex multiyear projects. "The absence of a long-term bill is hurting our economic competitiveness," said Rahn. "Recent efforts by the House and Senate to move discussions into a conference committee and hammer out potential details of a bill are a step in the right direction, but what’s really needed is a stable, long-term authorization that can adequately pay for our transportation system." Overall, 4 in 5 (80 percent) Americans would rather increase funding and improve roads and bridges than continue current funding levels and risk allowing our roads and bridges deteriorate. Don’t believe the Tea Party lies – polling proves California loves HSR Eric C. Peterson, January 2012 [Consultant for American Public Transportation Association, Peterson has held significant leadership roles on Capitol Hill, with national and regional transportation associations, and within the U.S. Department of Transportation where he was the first Deputy Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration. He currently serves as a Research Associate for the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University. “An Inventory of the Criticisms of High Speed Rail with Suggested Responses and Counterpoints,” http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/HSR-Defense.pdf] Written in an effort to derail the 2008 California referendum to approve a nearly $10 billion bond issue for the state’s high-speed rail initiative, the Reason Foundation in collaboration with Citizens Against Government Waste and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation, underwrote an exhaustive policy study authored by Wendell Cox and Joseph Vranich, “The California High-Speed Rail (CAHSRA) Proposal: A Due Diligence Report.” One of the more dramatic proclamations of “A Due Diligence Report” was: “Support for HSR has evaporated among potential investors and in state legislatures that have felt the brunt of citizen displeasure. With history as a guide, and as HSR environmental impacts become better understood, similar opposition could develop within California’s urban, suburban and rural communities located along the CAHSRA’s proposed system,” California voters actually gave the bond issue a solid vote of approval. And, a July 2010 opinion poll conducted by two California research firms (Fairbank, Masin, Maulin, Metz & Associates and Public Opinion Strategies) found: “Some 76 percent of Californians continue to support the project, with 34 percent saying they would like to see the project move forward as quickly as possible . . . only 13 percent of those polled opposed the project.” [p30] Directory: file -> view view -> Western Europe after wwii view -> Author study: paul fleischman view -> Qpa1 7ela study Guide view -> Arctic Oil/Gas Neg view -> November 1970 Approximately 150,000-500,000 deaths Bhola Cyclone Bangladesh view -> Grade Level: 6 Unit of Study: Caribbean glce view -> Citation: Duffield, Katy view -> Table of Contents Lesson # view -> Chinese Wind Energy Disad Download 0.59 Mb. Share with your friends:
|