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Attachment 1 2 <br />March 2, 2010 <br />President Barack Obama <br />The White House <br />1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW <br />Washington, D.C. 20050 <br />Dear President Obama: <br />Thank you for your commitment to developing a high speed rail vision for America. The high <br />speed rail corridor from Washington, DC to Charlotte, NC will be a catalyst for development of <br />commuter rail service for the Triangle and Triad regions of North Carolina. Orange County <br />thanks you for supporting North Carolina's application for high speed rail funding from the <br />American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with a $545 million allocation of federal recovery <br />funds, and strongly supports continued investment through annual budgetary appropriations to <br />accelerate the Southeast High Speed Rail corridor south of Washington, DC, and help realize <br />your vision of a high speed rail future for America. <br />North Carolina's sustained focus on high speed rail in cooperation with Virginia is demonstrated <br />by a completed Tier I environmental record of decision for the entire 450 mile corridor from <br />Charlotte to Washington, DC and the recent submittal of a preliminary Tier II application for the <br />section from Raleigh to Richmond. In addition, our state has developed solid partnerships with <br />two Class I railroads and has invested more than $300 million in stations, equipment, and <br />passenger operations in the past decade alone. <br />Our state's efforts in preparing for high speed rail have resulted in unanimous, bipartisan support <br />from our congressional delegation for our state's application for ARRA funding. Leaders from <br />across the state recognize that the Southeast High Speed Rail corridor will provide travelers with <br />a competitive alternative to air and automobile trips between Washington and the southeastern <br />United States, ease the rate of congestion growth along the I-95/I-85 corridor, improve safety and <br />energy effectiveness, and enhance air quality. <br />North Carolina is committed, focused, and ready for high speed rail, and has a proven track <br />record of performance. We applaud your efforts at creating a sustainable transportation future for <br />our nation and we encourage your support for continued funding for high speed rail. We also ask <br />for your support for funding North Carolina's applications for future grant opportunities for <br />additional improvements in the Charlotte-Raleigh-Richmond-Washington D.C. corridor. <br />Sincerely, <br /><signature> <br />Valerie Foushee, Chair <br />Orange County Board of County Commissioners <br />cc: Ray LaHood, Secretary, USDOT <br />Eugene Conti, Jr., Secretary, NCDOT <br />Charlie Grady, Office of the Secretary, NCDOT <br />Pat Simmons, Director, Rail Division, NCDOT <br />Joe Milazzo II, PE, Regional Transportation Alliance <br />