[OKC] FW: [PassRailOK, TX, KS] Oklahoman Story on Heartland Flyer In Jeopardy

Tue Sep 13 06:53:48 PDT 2011

-------- Begin forwarded message --------
Subject: [PassRailOK, TX, KS] Oklahoman Story on Heartland Flyer In 
Jeopardy
Date: 9/13/11 8:12:33 AM
From: sfrr at aol.com
To: heartland_flyer at yahoogroups.com, 
centralpassengerrail at yahoogroups.com, Southwest_Chief at yahoogroups.com, 
northflyer at yahoogroups.com

OKLAHOMAN STORY ON HEARTLAND FLYER IN JEOPARDY. In this story, US 
Senator Inhofe chimes in with comments regarding what might happen in 
the US Senate if the bill gets by a final House vote.  While we do not 
believe Senator Inhofe is an ardent passenger rail supporter, we also 
see his motives may be to continue bringing home some federal money for 
Amtrak's Heartland Flyer.  Without the Heartland Flyer, Oklahoma's 
federal Amtrak dollars would go to other states.

It is appropriate to say here that Amtrak's $2.7 million assigned to the 
Heartland Flyer is "overhead."  In other words, this number is 
"subjective" and not "objective."  Amtrak assigns these figures to all 
of its routes.  It is debated as to whether this is the true cost of the 
Heartland Flyer's overhead.

The exercise to call members of the US House delegation from Oklahoma 
lets them know we are watching and will react.  Thanks to everyone for 
your support.  Hopefully we will not be making the same requests when 
the bill hits the US Senate.

NOTE: In  a very strange 2006 move, Senator Inhofe was a part of a 
brokered deal  with then-Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation, Phil 
Tomlinson,  former-Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Jack Mildren, and a 
Texas  Transportation Commissioner Rick Williamson.  This brokered deal 
created  the first Texas contribution to the Heartland Flyer route.

http://newsok.com/house-republican-bill-targets-state-amtrak-routes-including-oklahomas-heartland-flyer/article/3603639

House Republican bill targets state Amtrak routes, including Oklahoma's 
Heartland Flyer Amtrak official says GOP proposal forces “an unwelcome 
decision  on states” that want passenger rail service. Oklahoma and 
Texas give  funding for the Heartland Flyer.
BY CHRIS CASTEEL ccasteel at opubco.com Oklahoman    Comment on this 
article 15 <http://newsok.com/article/3603639#disqus_thread> Published: 
September 13, 2011
  <http://newsok.com/article/3603639#disqus_thread>
  <http://newsok.com/article/3603639#disqus_thread>
WASHINGTON 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Washington%2c+DC&CATEGORY=CITY> 
— Amtrak 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Amtrak&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION> 
would no longer be able to subsidize the Heartland Flyer 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Heartland+Flyer&CATEGORY=MISC> 
train that runs from Oklahoma City 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Oklahoma+City&CATEGORY=CITY> 
to Fort Worth 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Fort+Worth&CATEGORY=CITY> , 
Texas <http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Texas&CATEGORY=STATE> 
, under a Republican spending bill now before a U.S. House 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=U.S.+House+of+Representatives&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION> 
panel. 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=U.S.+House+of+Representatives&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION>

According to Amtrak, the bill would eliminate nearly 150 weekday 
state-supported trains in the country and affect Oklahoma 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Oklahoma&CATEGORY=STATE> 
and 14 other states. 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Oklahoma&CATEGORY=STATE>
“The  Republican proposal forces an unwelcome decision on states who 
clearly  want to preserve and expand passenger rail service,” Amtrak 
board Chairman Tom Carper 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Carper&CATEGORY=PERSON> 
said. 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Carper&CATEGORY=PERSON>
The bill was approved by a House appropriations subcommittee last week 
and is now before the full committee. 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Carper&CATEGORY=PERSON>
It would cut Amtrak's funding by about 60 percent and prohibit Amtrak 
from spending any money on “state-supported routes.” 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Carper&CATEGORY=PERSON>
The Heartland Flyer receives state funding from Oklahoma and Texas. 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Carper&CATEGORY=PERSON>

<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Carper&CATEGORY=PERSON>
However,  even with the state funding and revenue from tickets, the 
route had an  operating deficit of more than $2.6 million last year that 
had to be  covered by Amtrak, according to a recent report by Sen. Tom 
Coburn, R-Muskogee 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Coburn&CATEGORY=PERSON> 
. 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Coburn&CATEGORY=PERSON>

<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Coburn&CATEGORY=PERSON>
Coburn's  report says fares on the Heartland Flyer would have to be more 
than  doubled to eliminate the need for an Amtrak subsidy. 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Coburn&CATEGORY=PERSON>
Coburn is among many critics of the large subsidies for passenger rail 
service. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=U.S.+Congressional+Research+Service&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION> 
wrote last year that Amtrak loses more than $1 billion a year and that 
virtually all of its 44 routes lose money. 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=U.S.+Congressional+Research+Service&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION>

<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=U.S.+Congressional+Research+Service&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION>
But  Carper, the Amtrak board chairman, said the Republican bill would 
kill  “an engine of local and regional economic growth much needed 
today.” 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=U.S.+Congressional+Research+Service&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION>
Jared Young 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jared+Young&CATEGORY=PERSON> 
, spokesman for Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jim+Inhofe&CATEGORY=PERSON> 
,  said, “We are following what is going on over in the House, but at 
the  same time, I would anticipate that there will be many changes to 
the  legislation as it makes its way through the process. 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jim+Inhofe&CATEGORY=PERSON>

<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jim+Inhofe&CATEGORY=PERSON>
“I would not think that the final language of the bill will look exactly 
the same as the committee passed it.” 
<http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jim+Inhofe&CATEGORY=PERSON>

Read more: 
http://newsok.com/house-republican-bill-targets-state-amtrak-routes-including-oklahomas-heartland-flyer/article/3603639#ixzz1XptuzT3Z 
<http://newsok.com/house-republican-bill-targets-state-amtrak-routes-including-oklahomas-heartland-flyer/article/3603639#ixzz1XptuzT3Z>

<http://newsok.com/house-republican-bill-targets-state-amtrak-routes-including-oklahomas-heartland-flyer/article/3603639#ixzz1XptuzT3Z>

<http://newsok.com/house-republican-bill-targets-state-amtrak-routes-including-oklahomas-heartland-flyer/article/3603639#ixzz1XptuzT3Z>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sustainableokc.org/pipermail/okc-sustainableokc.org/attachments/20110913/1085ae98/attachment.htm>