OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — California this week dismissed a lawsuit officials filed against the Trump administration over the federal government’s withdrawal of $4 billion for the state’s long-delayed high-speed rail project.
The US Department of Transportation in July cut funding for the bullet train aimed at connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles. The Trump administration said the California High Speed Rail Authority had “no viable plan” to complete a large segment of the project in the state’s farm-rich Central Valley.
The authority quickly opened a case, with the Democrat. Governor Gavin Newsom called the federal government’s decision “a political stunt to punish California.”
The authority said that this week it will focus on other funding sources to complete the project estimated to cost more than $100 billion.
“This action reflects the State’s assessment that the federal government is not a reliable, constructive or reliable partner in the advancement of high-speed rail in California,” said a spokesman for the authority in a statement.
The Department of Transportation did not respond to a request for comment on California’s dismissal of its lawsuit. President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have both previously called the project a “train to nowhere.”
“The Railroad we were promised doesn’t exist yet, and never will,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in July. “This project was wildly Overpriced, over-regulated, and NEVER DONE.”
The authority’s decision to drop the lawsuit comes as the group seeks private investors to support the bullet train. The project recently secured $1 billion in annual funding from the state’s cap-and-trade program through 2045.
The program sets a lowering cap on the state’s total global warming emissions from major polluters. Companies must reduce their emissions, buy allowances from the state or other businesses, or finance projects aimed at offsetting their emissions. Money the state receives from the sale funds climate change mitigation, affordable housing and transportation projects, as well as utility bill credits for Californians.
The rail authority said its shift in focus away from federal funding offered “a new opportunity.”
“Moving forward without the involvement of the Trump administration allows the Authority to follow proven global best practices used successfully by modern high-speed rail systems around the world,” a spokesperson said in a statement.