Rail coalition jumps into California’s cap-and-trade debate

The U.S. High Speed Rail Coalition said its first target is supporting a cap-and-trade extension for the state’s high-speed rail project.
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California's high-speed rail project will be a major piece of cap-and-trade extension negotiations. Rich Pedroncelli/AP

A national rail advocacy group is wading into California’s ongoing debate over the future of its cap-and-trade program.

What happened: Rod Diridon, a co-chair of the U.S. High Speed Rail Coalition, wrote in a December email to Ian Choudri, CEO of the California High Speed Rail Authority, that the coalition is “going to war to protect the Calif project.”

“The first target will be to support the cap and trade extension. Let us know how we might be most effective. Good luck!” reads the email, which POLITICO obtained via a public records request.

Diridon also forwarded Choudri a Forbes article that detailed how President Donald Trump could derail the project. The coalition’s political director, Ezra Silk, had flagged the story to Diridon and other leaders of the group. Silk wrote in an email: “The main takeaway is that we need to work with the State of California to stabilize the project’s funding.”

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