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Motion Expressing the Sense of Council of Allegheny County endorsing the construction of a high-speed Maglev transportation system in Allegheny County.
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WHEREAS, China has successfully implemented operations of a highly reliable and commercially viable 19 mile long high-speed Maglev system between Shanghai Business District and Pudong International Airport and intend to begin extending it another 105 miles; and
WHEREAS, many transportation experts agree that High-Speed Magnetically Levitated High Speed Ground Transportation (High-Speed MAGLEV) is the most promising answer to our country's and regions long term transportation and infrastructures problem, while at the same time providing our region with the best opportunity to develop a new industry and tens of thousands of new jobs; and
WHEREAS, the most advanced program with the strongest industrial, academic, civic, labor and political team ever assembled to develop and manufacture High-Speed Maglev in this country is located in Allegheny County, spearhead by MAGLEV, Inc., a public-private-labor partnership established in response to the ever growing need to provide new transportation solutions to the escalating problems of highway and airport congestion and the associated energy concerns; and
WHEREAS, the ultimate goal is to create a new industrial base and a network of high-speed Maglev systems radiating east and west from Allegheny County to connect major metropolitan cities, ports, airports, and long distance rail centers, and
WHEREAS, studies indicate that the raw materials, manufacture of the system (including all of the components and sub-components), the construction, operation and maintenance of the system will create tens of thousands of new jobs over the 25 to 30 years; and
WHEREAS, Allegheny County has the industrial capacity, advanced training programs and an experienced workforce to support and develop such a large industry; and
WHEREAS, the Congress passed, as part of the SAFETEA-LU Transportation Reauthorization Act, § 1307, a Magnetic Levitation Transportation Technology Deployment Program that will provide a $45 million Federal grant to be awarded for the construction of one demonstration project in the United States east of the Mississippi River; Therefore, be it
NOW THEREFORE, IT IS MOVED, AND IT IS THE SENSE OF THE COUNCIL OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, that this Council endorses, fully supports, and places among its greatest priorities the construction of a high-speed Maglev transportation system and the industry necessary to manufacture high-speed Maglev systems in the United States, and, more specifically, in Allegheny County, using currently available technology; and
BE IT FURTHER MOVED, that the Allegheny County Council fully supports the efforts of the Pennsylvania Project, the premier Maglev project in the nation in it's efforts to be identified by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation as the project east of the Mississippi River selected for federal demonstration project funding, and oppose any plans, programs, or distracting efforts that would cause any delay in securing these funds and resulting new jobs for the region; and that a copy of this Motion be immediately forward to the Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation as evidence of support for Pennsylvania High-Speed Maglev Project from Allegheny County.