A major environmental lawsuit against the High Speed Rail Authority brought by Central Valley farmers and other parties was settled on April 18, clearing the way for initial construction to begin on the 30 mile corridor between Madera and Fresno.
KQED printed the press release also available as a PDF on the rail authority's webpage.
This settlement agreement brings to an end the final California Environmental Quality Act lawsuit challenging the Merced to Fresno project section Environmental Impact Report. The agreement provides for the preservation of important farmland and mitigation of effects of high-speed rail construction on agricultural operations.
Julliet Williams of The Associated Press also wrote of the settlement. Her piece was widely covered in the media including The Huffington Post. She included an additional development - a setback for the rail authority. The Surface Transportation Board, a division of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, ruled that it has jurisdiction over the $68 billion, 800-mile California project, meaning potential setbacks for the authority as it has additional regulations. The authority had applied for an exemption.
[Note: See Huffington Post Video: Update on President Obama's high speed rail stimulus Investments - that appears at the bottom of the article].
Sharon Bernstein of Reuters writes, "With the lawsuits settled, the state is now free to begin purchasing land for the first leg, said Lisa Marie Alley, a spokeswoman for the High Speed Rail Authority."
With the settlement, construction is set to begin this summer for the southern part of the initial, 60-mile Merced-to-Fresno segment.
This is the second development in this court case. The farming parties had asked last October for an injunction to halt all work in the corridor until the April hearing, but the judge denied the request.
The authority won a crucial victory in March in another contested corridor - the San Francisco Peninsula, when it rejected a 2008 lawsuit brought by Atherton, Menlo Park, and Palo Alto that had forced the Authority to redo their environmental impact report.
They are not out of the legal woods yet though. Robert Cruickshank writes in the California High Speed Rail Blog of a remaining suit brought by "Kings County, farmer John Tos and Hanford resident Aaron Fukuda (who) charge that the rail authority’s plans are illegal under Proposition 1A, the $9.9 billion high-speed rail bond measure approved by California voters in 2008. That suit, which hopes to block the sale of bonds, will be heard in Sacramento in late May."
Stay tuned. While the rail authority is batting really well, the game isn't over.
FULL STORY: California Bullet Train Lawsuit Dropped
The California High-Speed Rail Authority's Board Took a 'Momentous' Step on Tuesday
The California High-Speed Rail Authority voted on December 13 to approve two plans that would spend $3.2 billion in high-speed rail bond funds for continuing construction in the Central Valley and help pay for Caltrain commuter rail electrification.
California High Speed Rail Breaks Ground Today in Fresno
The long-beleaguered California High Speed Rail project will have a historic moment today, January 6. The media's coverage of the event indicates the yet-to-be-determined future of the project.
California High Speed Rail Authority Denied Request to Overturn Lawsuit
Seems like it's nothing but bad news for the rail authority since a judge ruled in November that the project was not in compliance with the proposition that the voters approved in 2008. This appeals court ruling means that a trial will move forward.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
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.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research