The high speed passenger train project between Dallas and Houston has drawn another court action.
There is a link on the Texans Against High-Speed Rail (TAHSR) Facebook page to the federal lawsuit whose plaintiffs include that organization, six county governments, and ten landowners.
They have sued the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
Texas Central, which is developing the project, is not a co-defendant.
According to the TAHSR Facebook page, the plaintiffs are challenging the FRA’s final environmental impact statement (EIS), which now allows the type of train that Texas Central plans to use, to be deployed anywhere in the United States.
Quoting from the TAHSR Facebook page, president and Leon County commissioner Kyle Workman says “The Final EIS is riddled with errors and issues that were never addressed, including adverse environmental impacts and social disparities. The damage began years ago and continued through to the RPA”…or the federal railroad administration’s rule of particular applicability. Workman says “This was a bait and switch, not only on the people of Texas, but all Americans. FRA neglected to properly study the impacts on Texas and now it is attempting to use its deficient study to allow a foreign government to bypass” requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act “and deploy its incompatible technology anywhere in the U.S. FRA’s actions”, says Workman, “should concern the entire nation.”
Co-plaintiffs include Madison, Grimes, Leon, Freestone, Navarro, and Waller counties and the owners of five parcels of land located in Madison, Grimes, Limestone, Ellis, Waller, and Harris counties.
