State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

California Supreme Court ruling bolsters bullet train foes

Ventura County Star: SAN FRANCISCO - U.S. law does not allow state-owned rail projects to completely bypass California's strict environmental regulations, the state Supreme Court said Thursday in a decision that ensures further legal complications for the planned $64 billion bullet train between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The high court overturned a lower court ruling and gave renewed hope to those who have used the California Environmental Quality Act to challenge the high-speed rail project championed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

"It basically says that California has a right to control its own railroads and decide whether they should be required to consider carefully the environmental impacts of their projects," said Stuart Flashman, who represents several San Francisco Bay Area cities in a lawsuit that claims the bullet train project violates state environmental law.

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