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(erielack) Senate bill S.2720 funds the Cutoff, with strings attached

JUNE 14.-- WASHINGTON,DC. U.S. Senate Introduces Bill S.2720, companion to 
the House Transportation Bill H.R. 4475. 

Project funding is written into the  S.2720 Transportation Appropriation for 
FY 2001!! 

The text reads........."The following new fixed guideway systems and 
extensions to existing systems are eligible to receive funding for 
alternatives analysis and preliminary engineering:

Northwest New Jersey-Northeast Pennsylvania passenger rail project"  (AKA, 
The Lackawanna Cutoff; 88 miles from Port Morris to Scranton).

"Further,....the Federal Transit Administration shall, not later than 
February 1, 2001, individually submit to the House and Senate Committees on 
Appropriations the recommended grant funding levels for the respective 
projects..."

$1,058,400,000 is authorized by S.2720 for the PROJECT and 44 others named in 
the Bill.

What all this means is that the finished MIS and EA will be starting review 
by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as I write this since the MIS is 
already done. The MIS will not become public until the FTA review is 
completed (hopefully before 2/1/2001). 

The FTA will have until 2/1/2001 as specified in S.2720  to finish their 
evaluation of the merits of the project, and......

per S.2720, the FTA  would be directed by S.2720 (if it becomes law) to 
request the engineering funds ($5.3 million) from the House and Senate 
Appropriations committees by the same 2/1/2001 deadline.

The House and Senate Appropriations committees will release the engineering 
funds as needed per  S.2720,  until the 2/1/2001deadline. The "greased wheel" 
turns!!!  
If S.2720 becomes law, it will take effect 10/1/2000. However, this funding 
HAS TO BE APPLIED FOR by the 2/1/2001 deadline.

Simple, right? 

Seth T. Penn-Jersey Rail Coalition
http://www.lackawannacutoff.org

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