Mica seeks “better-directed” HSR program

Rep. John L. Mica of Florida, the Republican leader of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, said Wednesday that if he is named chairman of the committee, a priority will be “cost-effective passenger rail transportation, including a better directed high speed rail program.”

He also called for “a long-term federal highway and transit reauthorization” and said he would try to “speed up the process by which infrastructure projects are approved, and free up any infrastructure funding that’s been sitting idle.”

Mica’s home state of Florida, along with California, have received major grants from the Obama Administration’s $10 billion high speed rail initiative. A number of Republican governors of other states view the program as one they can’t afford and have said they will reject any funding offered.

A longtime Washington observer of the transportation scene suggests that freight railroads may also benefit from changes in the committee, notingthat Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) will become the ranking Democrat on the T&I committee. Rahall has spoken out strongly against rail re-regulation, says this source, and Oberstar’s defeat means that “captive shippers lose verybig and railroads win very big.”