High Speed Rail in America: An Evaluation of the Regulatory, Real Property, and Environmental Obstacles a Project Will Encounter

In 2009, President Barack Obama allocated $8 billion in stimulus funding for high-speed rail projects across the United States.One year later, in 2010, an additional $2.5 billion was distributed to corridors with High-Speed Rail Projects.Even though the most recent congressional budget eliminated high-speed rail funding, many corridors are working diligently to break ground by the end of 2012.Before a high-speed rail project can be fully implemented there are many legal and environmental issues and regulations to examine.This paper conducts a complete analysis of those issues and regulations and suggests how to apply them to a successful high-speed rail project.With the foregoing and other accompanying statements on April 16, 2009, President Barack Obama explained his desire to bring the nation a new transportation infrastructure that uses a high-speed rail ("HSR") system to connect the population centers .