(The following appeared on The Baltimore Sun website on February 9, 2011.)
BALTIMORE, Md. — At a time when several newly elected Republican governors are turning their backs on President Barack Obama’s ambitious plans to build a high-speed rail system, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the administration would press forward in a patchwork fashion if necessary.
During a wide-ranging briefing Wednesday, Obama’s transportation chief said he had spoken to Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley about the prospects for further federal spending on several big-ticket projects in Maryland, including the century-old Amtrak tunnel in Baltimore that is an impediment to high-speed rail operations in the Northeast Corridor.
The full story appears on the Baltimore Sun website.