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“ Regional projects must have mutual benefit. Rail is the key to mobility at Ft. Bliss, trade with Mexico and El Paso's just-in-time manufacturing."
July 26, 2005

Over recent weeks, earmarks promoted by New Mexico's U.S. Senate delegation would move El Paso rail and railyards from the center of El Paso to Santa Teresa.

Written by Senator Shapleigh, www.shapleigh.org

AUSTIN - Today Senator Shapleigh released correspondence to Mayor John Cook and U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison strongly supporting the position of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and TxDOT Commissioner Ted Houghton with respect to a pending Congressional earmark.

Over recent weeks, earmarks promoted by New Mexico's U.S. Senate delegation would move El Paso rail and railyards from the center of El Paso to Santa Teresa.

El Paso, long one of the border's premier ports, would lose very important rail capacity and intermodal capacity critical to Fort Bliss, trade with Mexico, and the area's just-in-time manufacturing.

"Regional projects must have mutual benefit," said Senator Shapleigh. "Moving rail to Santa Teresa with no intermodal investment in El Paso is not a good deal for us. Rail is the key to mobility at Ft. Bliss, trade with Mexico, and to El Paso's just-in-time manufacturing base. For any deal to work, both sides need to benefit," said Shapleigh.

Under an agreement being worked by TxDOT any earmark must demonstrate mutual benefit to the region. Senator Shapleigh strongly supports the idea of regional infrastructure that benefits all parts of the region, but insists that El Paso maintain critical rail and intermodal capacity to promote Fort Bliss, trade with Mexico, and just-in-time manufacturing.

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