Dems approve $25M for rail plan

April 20, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

A plan to restore passenger- rail service between Cleveland and Cincinnati cleared its first political hurdle Monday over the objections of Republicans, who argued that Gov. Ted Strickland still hasn’t made a case that the project is needed.

Democrats on the state Controlling Board voted 4-3 along party lines to approve spending $25 million in federal stimulus money to complete final engineering and design work on a project that, if successful, could prove to be a legacy of President Barack Obama’s economic-stimulus package in Ohio.

The vote was a temporary victory for Strickland, who says the project will create 250 immediate construction jobs and set the stage for higher-speed trains.

But Republicans said the project has too many uncertain costs.

Future support from GOP lawmakers on the panel will be crucial. State law requires a supermajority vote for capital improvements on passenger-rail development, which the Strickland administration defines as physical assets — trains, tracks and stations.

“This is an illegal act,” said state Sen. David Goodman, a Republican from Bexley who argued that Monday’s vote should have required a supermajority, too. Afterward, he said he knew of no plans by the GOP to challenge the vote in court.

Goodman and other Republicans also were concerned that Ohio would have to repay the $25 million if the state later decides to pull out of the project. The Federal Rail Administration has publicly stated that Ohio would not be on the hook.

Matt Dietrich, executive director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission, told the panel that the time has come to proceed with final engineering so that Ohio can get the kind of detailed answers that critics are looking for. It will include data needed to make track improvements and help the agency refine departure schedules and determine the top operating speeds at various points along the 255-mile route.

Obama awarded Ohio $400 million in January for a startup service connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati with trains that reach 79 mph. It was part of $8 billion in stimulus grants for 13 high-speed corridors and 31 states.

None of the projects appear to be in as much political trouble as in Ohio, where Strickland is running for re-election.

If Republicans derail the plan, it would be one of the most dramatic refusals of stimulus money in the nation. Ohio has until Sept. 30, 2011, to reach an agreement with Federal Rail Administration on how the money will be spent.