Sen. Schumer urges House/Senate conferees to provide $4 billion for HSR in FY10 transportation bill

As House and Senate conferees work to reconcile differences in their proposed fiscal-year 2010 transportation bills, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is urging committee members to retain high funding levels for high-speed rail.

The House version of the bill includes $4 billion for high-speed rail; the Senate's version includes $1.2 billion. Schumer is making a case for the conferees to approve the $4 billion included in the House bill.

"We are at the beginning of a new age for transportation and we must provide proper funding to complete these projects," he said in a prepared statement. "Retaining these funding levels will help expand our transportation infrastructure and potentially make the dream of high-speed rail a reality."