Someone tell the Town of Atherton that electric trains don't pollute. I think they're now up to 3 lawsuits against California high speed rail, at least two of which are on environmental reasons.
The risk of course is doing what has been done with HS2 in the UK, all the environmental damage before killing most of the project and thus no end benefit*.
* Unless you count enriching your tory donors by selling them the cancelled land secretly within hours of cancelling the project.
Then again, jet fuel will get you there faster. Flying 400 miles is more relaxing than driving.
How do electric trains compare? I’m having a little problem with common sense today.
I suspect there's enough political influence in that town to prevent it from happening
Homeowners don't want to move? No problem, just eminent domain them or invent some new CEQA provision by a simple majority vote. It's about time the state learned to use its powers!
There might be some brave souls willing to pick a fight with Atherton's leading citizens. But no one like that is serving in the state legislature.
The purpose of ALL government is to _serve_ citizens. There are too many people who see government as the bully pulpit, which is bad enough, but to openly lust after that power is always unsettling to me.