<DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"> </FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">-------- Begin forwarded message --------</FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Subject: [PassRailOK, TX, KS] Oklahoman Story on Heartland Flyer In Jeopardy</FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Date: 9/13/11 8:12:33 AM</FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">From: sfrr@aol.com</FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">To: heartland_flyer@yahoogroups.com, centralpassengerrail@yahoogroups.com, Southwest_Chief@yahoogroups.com, northflyer@yahoogroups.com</FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"> </FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><B>OKLAHOMAN STORY ON HEARTLAND FLYER IN JEOPARDY. </B>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. </FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">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. </FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">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.  </FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><I>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. </I><FONT FACE="arial"></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">http://newsok.com/house-republican-bill-targets-state-amtrak-routes-including-oklahomas-heartland-flyer/article/3603639 </FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">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.   </FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">BY CHRIS CASTEEL ccasteel@opubco.com Oklahoman    Comment on this article <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/article/3603639#disqus_thread" TARGET="_blank"><U>15</U></A></FONT>Published: September 13, 2011 </FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#3333FF" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/article/3603639#disqus_thread" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#3333FF" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/article/3603639#disqus_thread" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#3333FF" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Washington%2c+DC&CATEGORY=CITY" TARGET="_blank"><U>WASHINGTON</U></A><FONT COLOR="#000000">— <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Amtrak&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION" TARGET="_blank"><U>Amtrak</U></A></FONT>would no longer be able to subsidize the <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Heartland+Flyer&CATEGORY=MISC" TARGET="_blank"><U>Heartland Flyer</U></A></FONT>train that runs from <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Oklahoma+City&CATEGORY=CITY" TARGET="_blank"><U>Oklahoma City</U></A></FONT>to <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Fort+Worth&CATEGORY=CITY" TARGET="_blank"><U>Fort Worth</U></A></FONT>, <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Texas&CATEGORY=STATE" TARGET="_blank"><U>Texas</U></A></FONT>, under a Republican spending bill now before a <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=U.S.+House+of+Representatives&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION" TARGET="_blank"><U>U.S. House</U></A></FONT>panel. <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=U.S.+House+of+Representatives&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">According to Amtrak, the bill would eliminate nearly 150 weekday state-supported trains in the country and affect <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Oklahoma&CATEGORY=STATE" TARGET="_blank"><U>Oklahoma</U></A></FONT>and 14 other states. <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Oklahoma&CATEGORY=STATE" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">“The  Republican proposal forces an unwelcome decision on states who clearly  want to preserve and expand passenger rail service,” Amtrak board <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Carper&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"><U>Chairman Tom Carper</U></A></FONT>said. <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Carper&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The bill was approved by a House appropriations subcommittee last week and is now before the full committee. <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Carper&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">It would cut Amtrak's funding by about 60 percent and prohibit Amtrak from spending any money on “state-supported routes.” <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Carper&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The Heartland Flyer receives state funding from Oklahoma and Texas. <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Carper&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#3333FF" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Carper&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">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 <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Coburn&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"><U>Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee</U></A></FONT>. <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Coburn&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#3333FF" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Coburn&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Coburn's  report says fares on the Heartland Flyer would have to be more than  doubled to eliminate the need for an Amtrak subsidy. <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Tom+Coburn&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Coburn is among many critics of the large subsidies for passenger rail service. The nonpartisan <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=U.S.+Congressional+Research+Service&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION" TARGET="_blank"><U>Congressional Research Service</U></A></FONT>wrote last year that Amtrak loses more than $1 billion a year and that virtually all of its 44 routes lose money. <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=U.S.+Congressional+Research+Service&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#3333FF" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=U.S.+Congressional+Research+Service&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">But  Carper, the Amtrak board chairman, said the Republican bill would kill  “an engine of local and regional economic growth much needed today.” <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=U.S.+Congressional+Research+Service&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#3333FF" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jared+Young&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"><U>Jared Young</U></A><FONT COLOR="#000000">, spokesman for <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jim+Inhofe&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"><U>Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa</U></A></FONT>,  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. <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jim+Inhofe&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#3333FF" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jim+Inhofe&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">“I would not think that the final language of the bill will look exactly the same as the committee passed it.” <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Jim+Inhofe&CATEGORY=PERSON" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Read more: <FONT COLOR="#3333FF"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/house-republican-bill-targets-state-amtrak-routes-including-oklahomas-heartland-flyer/article/3603639#ixzz1XptuzT3Z" TARGET="_blank"><U>http://newsok.com/house-republican-bill-targets-state-amtrak-routes-including-oklahomas-heartland-flyer/article/3603639#ixzz1XptuzT3Z</U></A></FONT></FONT></DIV><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#3333FF" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/house-republican-bill-targets-state-amtrak-routes-including-oklahomas-heartland-flyer/article/3603639#ixzz1XptuzT3Z" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></DIV><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><br></FONT><DIV ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="arial" SIZE="2" COLOR="#3333FF" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><A HREF="http://newsok.com/house-republican-bill-targets-state-amtrak-routes-including-oklahomas-heartland-flyer/article/3603639#ixzz1XptuzT3Z" TARGET="_blank"></A></FONT></DIV>