NORTHWESTERN PA. Candidate advocates bullet trains
Porter said the projects can be funded by rescinding a tax break given the rich.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- To focus on positive images in his congressional campaign, Dr. Steven Porter is proposing some major public works projects that he said can rejuvenate industry and create jobs in northwestern Pennsylvania.
Porter, of Wattsburg, Pa., is the Democratic challenger to Rep. Phil English of Erie, R-3rd.
Porter proposed a series of windmill farms to generate electricity as a public works project a week ago, and on Wednesday he touted development of a high-speed rail system, or bullet train, to link Buffalo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh through Erie.
"Just think of what such a project would mean to our steel and tool industries. And think of how many thousands of people would be employed," Porter said.
He projected that a federal allocation of about $5 billion a year for 10 years would be sufficient to build a system that would use electric diesels or Maglev engines to pull the train.
Boost to companies
General Electric in Erie already makes locomotives, and the regional steel and tool and die industries would get a major boost by supplying materials for the project, he said.
Although federal money would be the primary funding source, Porter said, state and private investment could be forthcoming.
Japan and countries in Europe have high-speed rail systems and it's time they became a reality in this country, he said, adding that he envisions other high-speed lines in other parts of the country.
Porter said he isn't aware of any studies that indicate the idea would be accepted here, but he pointed out that commuting by rail is a major source of transportation in the country's metropolitan areas.
The government has the money to do it, simply by rescinding the $300 billion tax cut granted to the nation's wealthiest people or by scaling back involvement in the war in Iraq, which has already cost $200 billion, Porter said.
High-speed rail lines would enable workers in cities to move farther out where land is available and housing is cheaper such as in Mercer and Crawford counties, he said.
The line also would boost the tourist industry and contribute to cleaner air and a reduction on the need for foreign oil as a fuel source, Porter added.