James Oberstar: “While we continued to study it and develop it in university research centers and in contracts with the private sector…”

“While we continued to study it and develop it in university research centers and in contracts with the private sector, Germany and Japan moved ahead with test track MAGLEV technology projects. One of those, the German technology version, has already been implemented in Shanghai, China, while we continue to lag behind because we have not moved ahead with sufficient authority. Well, we have provided that authority in SAFETEA-LU, but the language wasn't precise enough to satisfy the Federal Transit Administration to move ahead. So we have corrected that ambiguity, if you will, or at least what the Department of Transportation considered to be an ambiguity, with the following language. 'Fifty percent of the funds will be allocated to the Nevada Department of Transportation, who shall cooperate with the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission for the MAGLEV project between Las Vegas and Primm.' In addition, the other 50 percent of the funds shall be allocated 'for existing MAGLEV projects located east of the Mississippi River, using such criteria as the Secretary deems appropriate.'”