As state Transportation Secretary Gene Conti was battling to protect North Carolina’s interest in that dispute with Norfolk Southern Railway, some Republicans in the General Assembly were continuing to argue against the state’s interest, in a bizarre proposal from Charlotte Rep. Ric Killian. Republican Killian is sponsoring a measure to return to the federal government the $461 million in rail improvement grants awarded to the state.
It is a ludicrous idea that would, among other things, cost the state about 5,000 jobs at a time when those jobs are desperately needed. The money would pay for a range of worthwhile improvements in rail lines. And now Gov. Beverly Perdue is trying to land another $624 million to replace stations in Charlotte and Raleigh and build new ones in Hillsborough and Lexington, along with purchasing right-of-way that would be devoted to the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor leading toward Richmond and Washington.
Jobs would be created, of course, and there likely would be some new development around those stations. The money would come from the $2.4 billion in high-speed rail grants that were turned down by the state of Florida. What a sense of irony that brings to the current debate over North Carolina’s already-secured grants. Republicans, some of them anyway, want North Carolina to match Florida in foolishness. Let’s cut off our noses, they say, to spite the president’s face.
And make no mistake: Killian’s maneuver is more about repudiating President Obama’s program to improve rail service, a progressive, environmentally beneficial effort, than it is about holding the line on federal spending. He would deny jobs to workers (including many in his district) rather than support projects that would connect his bustling city more easily to Raleigh and Washington.
This is the type of spending that will help the state and stimulate the economy. It is investment that will bring dividends to people. Killian isn’t fooling anybody. At least, let’s hope not.
