OAKLAND, CA– California this week dismissed a lawsuit filed by officials against the Trump administration over the federal government’s long-awaited withdrawal of $4 billion for the state. High-speed rail project.
US Department of Transportation in July Money cut off For the high-speed train intended to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles. The Trump administration said the California High-Speed Rail Authority has “ There is no viable plan “To complete a large part of the project in the state’s farm-rich Central Valley.
The authority quickly filed a lawsuit with the Democrats. Governor Gavin Newsom called the federal government’s decision a “political ploy to punish California.”
The authority said this week that it will focus on other sources of funding to complete the project, whose cost is estimated at more than $100 billion.
“This action reflects the state’s assessment that the federal government is not a reliable, constructive and trustworthy partner in the development of high-speed rail in California,” a spokesperson for the authority said in a statement.
The Department of Transportation did not respond to a request for comment on California’s dismissal of its lawsuit. President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had previously criticized the project, calling it “a train that leads nowhere.”
“The railroad we were promised still does not exist, and will never exist,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in July. “This project was grossly over-hyped, over-regulated, and was never delivered.”
The authority’s decision to drop the lawsuit comes at a time when the group is seeking private investors to support the high-speed train. The project recently received $1 billion in annual funding from the state Cap and trade program Until 2045.
The program sets a decreasing limit on the state’s total greenhouse emissions from major polluters. Companies must work to reduce their emissions, purchase allocations from the state or other companies, or finance projects aimed at offsetting their emissions. Money the state receives from sales to fund climate change mitigation, affordable housing and transportation projects, as well as utility bill credits for Californians.
The railroad authority said the shift in focus away from federal funding provides a “new opportunity.”
“Moving forward without the Trump administration’s involvement allows the authority to pursue proven global best practices that are successfully used by modern high-speed rail systems around the world,” a spokesperson for the authority said in a statement.