By Dave Lucas
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-882888.mp3
Utica, NY – High-speed rail projects across the United States received an 8-billion-dollar injection of federal funds on Thursday, but there are those in New York who feel the Empire State didn't get it's fair share. Capital District Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.
While many New Yorkers celebrated the 151 million dollars in federal funding the state received for the development of high speed rail service, the Mohawk Valley got nothing. Official reactions to the allocation of funds were mixed. Both of New York's U-S Senators, Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, issued statements indicating their disappointment that Utica, the Mohawk Valley and Central New York didn't get a fair share of federal dollars. Senators Gillibrand and Schumer note that the current federal plan calls for awarding $1 billion nationwide per year in additional high-speed funding over the next five years, and New York is line to receive some of that money.