California' State Supreme Court on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 rejected the latest challenge to the Golden State's proposed 700-mile high speed rail project, clearing the way for initial construction.
Opponents sought to overturn a lower state court ruling allowing the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to proceed, arguing CHSRA was not complying with terms of the 2008 ballot measure, passed by state voters, providing state bonding authority to back the HSR project.
An appellate court last August agreed that some legitimate concerns were being voiced, but declined to halt the project solely on that basis.
Landowners in the state's Central Valley, site of the first and second stages of the project, assert the state hasn't identified specific funding sources and has failed to answer environmental concerns, charges the Supreme Court rejected.
Also last August, the Surface Transportation Board ruled that CHSRA "is authorized to construct a 114-mile high-speed passenger rail line between Fresno and Bakersfield, Cal., subject to environmental mitigation conditions," which, in tandem with the appellate court's decision, bolstered the project's momentum.