Stimulus money should go to transportation, Rep. says

U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said this week that if stimulus dollars are flowing, some of it should go to transportation infrastructure rather than the financial industry. And of that infrastructure, Rohrabacher thinks some of it should be going to move cargo containers at local ports using magnetic fields.

“If we have to put money into our economy, let’s not give it to failed businesses, but rather invest in better transportation, energy and water systems,” Rohrabacher said in a statement to the International MagLev Conference in San Diego Tuesday. “When our economy is weak we shouldn’t be transferring dollars to losers.”

Rohrabacher supports the proposed Electric Cargo Conveyor System, which would move cargo containers at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles by magnetic levitation (MagLev).

“That could take thousands of trucks off our roads and pay for itself through container fees,” he said.

— Michael Alexander