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Rep. Swalwell Endorses BART Action to Extend Rail to Livermore

September 19, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) today sent a letter to the President of BART's Board of Directors to express his strong support for BART's proposed Livermore extension after BART reaffirmed it would prepare an environmental impact report (EIR) for the project. A Livermore extension would add 4.8 miles of rail to the BART System along I-580. Rep. Swalwell represents the city of Livermore in the U.S. Congress.

"The growth of our economy in the East Bay depends on enabling an increasingly mobile workforce," said Rep. Swalwell. "I applaud BART's decision to move forward with this extension to Livermore to better connect the community to the rest of the Bay Area. I also supported the extension as a Dublin City Councilmember. It will notably increase accessibility to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, great sources of innovation in the Tri-Valley and major employers in the area."

"This report will be a significant step in making the BART to Livermore extension project a reality," said BART Director John McPartland. "The study will look at various ways to relieve congestion and reduce air pollution along the busy I-580 corridor and will include input from the public and stakeholders."

Since taking office in January, Rep. Swalwell has worked with BART to improve the system. He announced recently that BART was awarded a $12.8 million Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant to enhance its security and protect the Transbay Tube from terrorism. This followed a letter that Rep. Swalwell sent to DHS supporting BART's grant application.

"I look forward to working with BART on this vital extension project and other ways we can improve our world-class transit system," added Rep. Swalwell.

The text of the letter is below:

September 19, 2013

Mr. Tom Radulovich

President of the Board

Bay Area Rapid Transit District

300 Lakeside Drive, P.O. Box 12688

Oakland, CA 94604-2688

Dear President Radulovich:

I am writing to express my long held support for extending BART to Livermore and endorse BART's intention to prepare a draft environmental impact report (EIR) on the project.

As a resident and now a Representative in the U.S. Congress of the Tri-Valley and East Bay, I understand the importance of maintaining and expanding our region's transportation system. The productivity of our businesses depends on enabling an increasingly mobile workforce. Additionally, to sustain our high quality of life in the Bay Area, people want to spend less time in their cars and more time with their families. They also want to be able to travel in an environmentally-friendly way. For these reasons I was very pleased to learn that BART plans to prepare a draft EIR on a potential Livermore extension. This 4.8 mile extension will be a significant improvement to the BART system as a whole. Not only will it better connect this vital part of the Bay Area to the rest of the region as a general matter, but it specifically will increase accessibility to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore – two of our nation's premiere national laboratories, greats source of innovation in the Tri-Valley, and major employers in the area.

I applaud BART's intention to move forward with this important project and I look forward to working together to improving our world-class transit system. Please consider my office a resource, and if you need anything feel free to contact us at 202-225-5065.

Sincerely

Eric Swalwell

Member of Congress