HF 1479

as introduced - 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018) Posted on 02/20/2017 01:38pm

A resolution
requesting that the United States Secretary of Transportation redirect federal funds
from Southwest Light Rail to a block grant to fund other transit projects in the state.

WHEREAS, efficient, affordable, and accessible public transportation is an essential
component of a thriving and robust economy; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature of the State of Minnesota supports public investment in
transportation infrastructure that is cost-effective, sustainable, and can adjust to changing
demographics as well as readily adopt innovative technology; and

WHEREAS, the proposed Southwest Light Rail Transit (SWLRT) Project, an extension of
the Metro Green Line, if built at a capital cost of nearly $2,000,000,000 will be by far the single
largest public works project in Minnesota's history; and

WHEREAS, SWLRT, as planned, will not be affordable, accessible, sustainable, or adjustable
as transportation needs change, nor can it readily adopt newer and more affordable technologies;
and

WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council's process regarding SWLRT has been widely perceived
by the public and by the Minnesota Senate as high-handed, opaque, deceptive, and intended to
exclude meaningful public participation and legislative oversight; and

WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council has represented that SWLRT will be funded through
a mix of federal, state, and local sources, with funds from Minnesota taxpayers making up
approximately one-half of the total cost to construct the project; and

WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council, a wholly unelected body, has, at the Governor's
direction, engaged in a series of maneuvers that it has publicly acknowledged are intended to avoid
meaningful legislative review and public scrutiny of SWLRT; and

WHEREAS, the Minnesota Legislature has not held a single vote nor passed any act that
could be interpreted as legislative approval of SWLRT; and

WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council's current SWLRT funding scheme of utilizing
Certificates of Participation, a form of indebtedness, is a self-proclaimed attempt to circumvent the
right of the Minnesota Legislature to evaluate and authorize SWLRT; and

WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council's utilization of Certificates of Participation further
constitutes an express breach of its promise to the Minnesota Legislature and to the Federal Transit
Administration that it would not resort to such a financing mechanism in the absence of legislative
authorization; and

WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council's source of funds for repayment of the Certificates of
Participation is not fully known, but will ultimately be at the expense of other, more meritorious
transportation needs; and

WHEREAS, notwithstanding overwhelming evidence of the upside-down cost-benefit of
SWLRT, it is the Metropolitan Council's stated expectation that the Minnesota Legislature will
provide 50 percent of the ongoing SWLRT net operating subsidy in perpetuity, as provided under
current statute; and

WHEREAS, the proposed light rail system bypasses the most densely populated, most
transit-dependent, largely minority populations in the metro area, even though the Twin Cities area
is home to some of the worst racial disparities in America; and

WHEREAS, SWLRT, by bypassing transit-dependent populations, will result in fewer
dependable riders, lower fare box revenue, and missed opportunities for underserved populations
to access jobs and important regional resources; and

WHEREAS, SWLRT will replace the existing SouthWest Transit bus service, which is a
popular and heavily utilized transit option that delivers riders at twice the speed of SWLRT; and

WHEREAS, the current SWLRT plan proposes spending $260,000,000 for private freight
rail right-of-way acquisitions and new freight rail infrastructure, would expand the Metropolitan
Council's mission into freight rail operations, and raise unanswered questions about liability; and

WHEREAS, if built, SWLRT will adversely affect the quality of the Minneapolis Chain of
Lakes, a nationally recognized and lauded public amenity that is part of the National Scenic Byway
that serves and delights citizens from all parts of the State of Minnesota and visitors from around
the nation and the world; and

WHEREAS, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board expressed grave concern and
reservation about SWLRT intrusion into the Chain of Lakes, but was prevented from discharging
its legal obligation to protect this fragile resource under Section 4(f) of the Federal Transportation
Act when Minnesota's Governor threatened to withhold essential state financial support from the
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota that it declares that further
investment in SWLRT would be counterproductive to the State of Minnesota's transportation and
environmental interests, would be grossly wasteful, and would recklessly consume scarce transit
resources well into the future for a project of questionable value.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the State of Minnesota hereby further
declares its opposition to the continued funding and construction of SWLRT as currently planned
and calls for a halt to the project until a full financial projection and plan showing the sources of
capital, operations, maintenance, and replacement funds, and understandable repayment mechanisms
that do not unduly burden the taxpayers of Minnesota is prepared.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the State of Minnesota urges the
United States Secretary of Transportation to redirect federal funding of SWLRT to a block grant
of equal size to fund Minnesota's more pressing and more broadly supported transit options.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the State of Minnesota is directed
to prepare copies of this memorial and transmit them to the President of the United States, the
President and the Secretary of the United States Senate, the Speaker and the Clerk of the United
States House of Representatives, the chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and
Urban Affairs, the chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the United
States Secretary of Transportation, and Minnesota's Senators and Representatives in Congress.