From Houston Tomorrow:
US Representative John Culberson has pushed an amendment through to the floor of the US House of Representatives to specifically deny Houston federal funding for rail transit in two corridors, according to the text of the bill HR4745 (page 52, section 165):
SEC. 165. None of the funds in this or any other Act
14 may be available to advance in any way a new light or
15 heavy rail project towards a full funding grant agreement
16 as defined by 49 U.S.C. 5309 for the Metropolitan Transit
17 Authority of Harris County, Texas if the proposed capital
18 project is constructed on or planned to be constructed on
19 Richmond Avenue west of South Shepherd Drive or on
20 Post Oak Boulevard north of Richmond Avenue in Hous-
21 ton, Texas.
The bill is expected to be up for discussion on the floor of the US House of Representatives on Monday, June 9th, 2014.
See here for the background. It’s not the first time he’s tried this – the man is nothing if not maniacally obsessed. You should contact your member of Congress ASAP to ask him or her to oppose this harmful amendment. Remember that Culberson’s Republican colleague Ted Poe supports rail on Richmond because he actually listened to his constituents about it. Until that fine day comes when John Culberson is no longer in Congress, the best we can do is keep him from doing any further damage.
Is his venom toward that extension just personal animus toward someone in one of the agencies responsible for it?