A group drumming up
support for high-speed rail in Wisconsin says the oil spill in the Gulf
of Mexico is more proof we need to break away from our dependency on
oil.
Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research
Group, or WISPIRG, stopped in Green Bay Wednesday on a statewide tour.
The consumer group made up primarily of
college students and researchers says connecting Wisconsin cities by
high-speed rail will reduce traffic congestion and pollution and create
9,000 permanent jobs.
"WISPIRG is calling on Congress to dedicate
funding to passenger rail in the next six-year federal transportation
bill which will be taken up next year, so we can build the system
Wisconsin needs and our country deserves," the group's Sarah Seibold
said.
WISPIRG says high-speed rail is 23-percent
more fuel efficient than flying and up to 50-percent more fuel efficient
than driving.
