UPDATED [$810 million Wis. high speed rail deal sealed]

Mike Paulus

Nevermind.

Scott Walker is not happy. The outspoken high speed rail hater/possibly next governor of Wisconsin is slamming a deal “quietly signed” by state and federal administrators last night ensuring $810 million of federal stimulus moola goes to building THE TRAINS. From JSOnline ...

  • Just days before an election that could decide the fate of a planned high-speed rail line, state and federal administrators quietly signed a deal to commit the state to spending all $810 million of the federal stimulus cash allocated to the Milwaukee-to-Madison route, transportation officials confirmed Monday.
  • The unannounced weekend agreement frees outgoing Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle's administration to sign contracts for much if not all of the work. That could hamstring efforts by Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and his fellow Republicans to kill the project and spend the money on something else if they take control of the governor's office and either or both chambers of the state Legislature and Congress on Tuesday.

Walker, who plans planned on killing the rail project if elected said, “This is just raw political power at its worst.” But our Transportation Department says the timing wasn’t driven by the election, just following though on Governor Doyle’s original plan to create construction jobs.

Go Green is sponsored by:

Xcel Energy
Eau Claire

Go Green is sponsored by:

Xcel Energy
Eau Claire