Defense Spending Authorization Includes Davis-Sanchez Amendment To Derail 241 Tollroad
Posted by: Jubal | 12/14/2007 12:48 PM
This just came over the transom from Rep. Ken Calvert's office:
CONFERENCE REPORT FOR THE FY2008 NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT INCLUDES DAVIS-SANCHEZ LANGUAGE DERAILING 241 SOUTH
WASHINGTON, DC. December 7, 2007 - Congressman Ken Calvert (R-Corona) was disappointed that the FY2008 National Defense Authorization Act included language inserted by Rep. Susan Davis (D-San Diego) to repeal federal law that allowed the Department of the Navy to grant an easement at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The amendment was added during a late night mark up of the bill, H.R. 1585. The language represents a serious blow to two decades of work to develop a locally-preferred and environmentally sensitive route for the Foothill-South toll road. The conference report for H.R. 1585 was filed today.
"Southern Californians spend hours stuck in traffic and the process to build new roads is an extremely long and arduous task," said Rep. Calvert. "Now, thanks to Reps. Susan Davis and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), a toll road project that has been years in the making has been set back indefinitely. Even more dangerously, Davis and Sanchez have allowed state control over federal land. They have allowed the interests of a small group -- anti-growth, anti-population, left-wing environmentalists -- to drive policy."
In 1971, the State of California and the Dept. of the Navy entered into a 50 year lease that allowed for the northern-most end of Camp Pendleton to be used as a State Park. In the lease, both parties signed and acknowledged the right of the Department of the Navy to grant current and future easements on the leased property.
For almost two decades, federal and state transportation and environmental agencies, as well as the Marine Corps have worked to identify the most environmentally prudent alternative for the Foothill-South. After following both California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) processes, the preferred alternative route has been chosen and the environmental process is in the Final Environmental Impact Statement phase.
The amendment introduced by Rep. Davis to the National Defense Authorization Act during the House Armed Services Committee mark-up revises the federal legislation authorizing the Navy Department to grant an easement for the construction of the Foothill-South Project on Camp Pendleton. The effect of the language is to impose state law requirements on the Navy's rights to approve construction of roads on Camp Pendleton land.
"This language would not have seen the light of day if Rep. Sanchez, the leading Orange County Democrat, had not lent her support," said Rep. Calvert. "She understood the ramifications of the amendment and falsely claimed the project had been granted special environmental exemptions. While Rep. Davis had no right to interfere in Orange County transportation plans, the blame for this disastrous setback lays at Rep. Sanchez's door."
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CATEGORY:
241 Tollroad
"Hate to say I told you so.
I do believe I told you so.
Now it's all out and you knew cause I wanted to."
-The Hives, Hate To Say I Told You So
Foothill-South, like all the toll roads, complies with CEQA and NEPA law. Loretta Sanchez's efforts are nothing about environmental protection and all about killing the project. Now that she's kicked TCA's shield away, she'll hand the knife to Assemblyman Jared Huffman from Northern California and let him plunge it in.
Unfortuantely for Ms. Sanchez, killing road completion projects like this doesn't alleviate traffic congestion. As traffic continues to grow on the I-5, you can thank Loretta Sanchez for going out of her way to ensure continued traffic congestion for the region.
Toll roads increase traffic, not decrease it.
Land near toll road off-ramps is more valuable, as it can be reached quickly and easily by those who can afford to pay for the privilege, and thus afford other things as well. Thus you get office towers, commercial complexes and expensive real estate popping up along toll roads. 14,000 homes in Mission Viejo, for example?
All those workers, all those people living in the houses, everyone working at and recreating at the malls and stores and big-box outlets ... they all have to drive there. And they all have to drive home. And not all of that driving is on the toll road.
There you have it. Toll roads increase traffic. If you don't believe me, check out "Not So Fast" in the OC Weekly: http://www.ocweekly.com/news/news/not-so-fast/25871/
When dealing with complex issues like this, I'd rather trust expert opinion than common sense. "More roads means less traffic" is not always the case. It all depends on the type of roads.
Thanks for the insight Alex. The only problem is that your "theory" has absolutely no historical evidence to back it up. Forget OC and take a look at LA County. How many toll roads are there in LA County? And, how much of LA County is developed?
Mark-ups have been a political game for years. You win some, you lose some.
Anon at 10:11 p.m.
Alex is a leftie. Lefties like theories that sound good on paper but have no historical evidence to back them up.
Were the TCA lobbyists giving the Agency and OC folks bad info on the ability of Davis to get this through or was it just the hubris of the TCA and the South County crowd that led them to play hardball and not attempt to sweeten the deal until it was too little , too late?
As much blame as Loretta deserves for voting it in the House version, Feinstein and Boxer deserve for approving it in the Senate version.
Why don't these socialist care that we are wasting our lives away in traffic?
Look at LA if you want to see what Sanchez, Boxer and Feinstein want OC roads to look like.
Where are the KFI and other talk radio rabble rousers when you need them? The public needs to know who is causing this gridlock.