||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S REP. RICK LARSEN |||
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement:
“Finally! Trump’s Department of Transportation (DOT) released $17.5 million it was holding hostage that will now allow Skagit Transit to move forward with its new Operations facility. I have been working with Skagit Transit leadership for several years to get these dollars out the door and put to work for local transit. So great to be part of this local victory.”
Larsen helped secure the $17.5 million DOT award to Skagit County last year. He is the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
DOT released 123 grants today, including nine totaling over $183 million for Washington state communities:
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$17.5 million for Skagit Transit’s Maintenance, Operations, and Administration Facility in Burlington;
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$16 million for the Northwest Seaport Alliance’s transition to zero-emission trucks;
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$3.84 million for Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)’s
Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor Reliability – Landslide Mitigation Phase IV Project to reduce landslide blocking events along Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF)’s Scenic Subdivision at three locations between Seattle and Everett; -
$6.45 million for WSDOT’s Puget Sound Rail Corridor Improvement Project;
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$37.7 million for WSDOT’s Rural Rail Rehabilitation Phase III-Improving Supply Chain Efficiency and Resiliency project to replace all rail and ties on WSDOT’s Palouse River and Coulee City Rail System;
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$14.78 million for Pierce Transit’s new gantry with depot conductive charging infrastructure for battery-electric buses;
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$51.65 million for WSDOT’s SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge girder replacement;
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$25.65 million for the City of Seattle’s Safe Streets initiative; and
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$9.6 million for the City of Spokane’s Safe Streets initiative.
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Hooray for Senator Larsen for staying on top of our transportation woes and securing this release of funds withheld from our State!
As an aside, but not really… Most of Washington’s transportation woes are compliments of Tim Eyman, (remember I-695?) Mr. Eyman is almost single handedly responsible for gutting the Wa State transportation system including roads, ferries, and Public transportation. To all who voted for 11 out of 17 of his initiatives, read it and try to understand. THe got caught embezzling something like $200K of his own campaign money for one of the initiatives. All initiatives voted on and passed by him made it harder for our State legislature to get anything passed and further put the burden of paying onto the lowest income people with the oldest, heaviest cars. Take the #30 tabs fee – we used to have graduated tabs. We could have closed the gap between what the rich and the rest of us pay but I 695 did the opposite. The lower income folks with old steel cars now pay almost triple the $30. The old bait and switch. We voters need to smarten up and stop any more robbery of monies from the State and the people least able to afford the burden.
I know this article is about Senator Larsen’s victory in getting those monies released and I say, good job! Keep it up and keep fighting for your district!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Eyman
Local wins count BIG. We will be needing more and more of them.
Article isn’t about Eyman, but he’s been cited in the above comment.
NEVER going to say Eyman was a decent and respectful human being.
But about 99% of the public overlooks the fact that Washington State property taxes could, and would often be raised to the legal limit of 6% a year before Eyman’s tax initiative of a 1% plus new construction annual increase was voted in, only later to have the Washington Supreme Court invalidate that public vote on technical grounds. The legislature recognized the people’s will, and to this day, local property taxes are still limited to 1% plus new construction (and some other minor adds) unless the public votes for a higher levy or an agency bond.
Although local governing districts strongly objected, many automated processes (computers were still in relative infancy) and raised some fees to keep up with inflation and their ever expanding needs. But Washington State property taxes today would almost certainly be MUCH higher if Eyman hadn’t filed his tax reduction initiative. Recently the Washington State legislature has had bills to increase the annual increase to 3% plus new construction (I believe) … but so far they have failed to pass.