Padilla, Feinstein to Newsom: Brightline West Must Protect Endangered Desert Species
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein (both D-Calif.) today called on Governor Gavin Newsom to require the Brightline West high speed rail project to include wildlife corridor overpasses in its design to protect endangered species in the Mojave Desert.
“It has come to our attention that Brightline High Speed Rail’s proposed Brightline West project route from Las Vegas, Nevada to Victorville, California does not account for essential wildlife corridors for some of the desert’s state and federally-protected species, including big horn sheep and mountain lions,” the senators wrote. “To resolve these unnecessary impacts to our desert, we ask you to direct Caltrans to use its existing authorities and oversight of the project’s right-of-way, to require Brightline to include no less than three wildlife corridor overpasses in its design, and to construct these structures as part of its upcoming rail construction.”
Full text of the letter follows:
November 1, 2021
The Honorable Gavin Newsom
California State Capitol
1303 10th Street, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Governor Newsom,
It has come to our attention that Brightline High Speed Rail’s proposed Brightline West project route from Las Vegas, Nevada to Victorville, California does not account for essential wildlife corridors for some of the desert’s state and federally-protected species, including big horn sheep and mountain lions. To resolve these unnecessary impacts to our desert, we ask you to direct Caltrans to use its existing authorities and oversight of the project’s right-of-way, to require Brightline to include no less than three wildlife corridor overpasses in its design, and to construct these structures as part of its upcoming rail construction.
Brightline’s current project design has high-speed trains running 170 miles along the existing Interstate 15 highway, flanked by six foot concrete walls topped by chain link fences. An Oregon State University scientific study found that this project design would prevent bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, mountain lions, and the Mojave ground squirrel from crossing the highway into their habitat range. All of these animals are endangered or candidates for an endangered listing under the federal Endangered Species Act and California’s Endangered Species Act.
These protected animals, as well as bobcats, mule deer, and other terrestrial animals depend on movement across the I-15 corridor to maintain their population viability. Caltrans and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife documented these threats in their June 2021 recommendations to Brightline and urged the design and construction of three Designated Wildlife Overpasses to allow wildlife to travel safely across the highway. Despite these recommendations and repeated stakeholder engagement, Brightline has not committed to build wildlife crossings even though it will be seeking tax-exempt private activity bonds for this $8 billion project, with expected revenue of nearly $1 billion.
We agree that Brightline will be “offering millions of travelers a green way to travel,” as stated in their marketing material. To accomplish this, the project must heed the recommendations of scientists, regulators, wildlife advocates, and California’s own Department of Transportation. We urge you and the Department to ensure that this private venture is a careful steward of public resources and wildlife. We continue to value your partnership in protecting the California desert and its biodiversity. Please do not hesitate to contact us or have your staff reach out to ours with any questions.
Sincerely,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
Alex Padilla
United States Senator
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