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PRESIDENT HILLARY CLINTON
BREAKING NEWS TONIGHT.
THE MOORHEAD UNDERPASS, THE ONE
MUCH TALKED ABOUT IS NOT IN THE
MINNESOTA HOUSE PUBLIC WORKS
BILL.
SO WE'RE GOING TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING TO
HAPPEN FROM THERE.
THE SESSION ENDS ON MONDAY.
GOOD EVENING, WELCOME TO "6:30
POINT OF VIEW," I'M CHRIS BERG.
THEY'VE GOT THE BONDING BILL OUT
OF THE MINNESOTA HOUSE.
UNFORTUNATELY THERE'S A COUPLE
RAIL PROJECTS IN THAT BILL,
MOORHEAD'S IS NOT ONE OF THEM.
JOINING US TONIGHT TO TELL US
WHAT'S HAPPENING AND IS THERE A
POSSIBILITY STILL WITH JUST A
COUPLE DAYS LEFT FOR THIS
UNDERPASS TO GET SOME FUNDING IS
MINNESOTA REPRESENTATIVE BEN
LIEN WHO REPRESENTS --
WHAT HAPPENED?
WHY DID THIS UNDERPASS, WHY DID
IT NOT MAKE IT IN THIS HOUSE
PUBLIC WORKS PLAN?
WELL, THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON
TONIGHT, CHRIS.
I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY.
AS FAR AS I UNDERSTAND IT RIGHT
NOW, THE MOREHEAD PROJECT IS NOT
IN THE BILL BECAUSE OF THE OVER
ALL COST OF THE PROJECT AGAINST
THE OVER ALL FUNDING NUMBER FOR
THE BILL.
THE BILL IS ABOUT $800 MILLION.
SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S KIND OF
LIMITING WHAT THE HOUSE IS ABLE
TO DO ON GRADE SEPARATIONS.
AND I'M VERY FRUSTRATED ABOUT
THIS.
YOU KNOW, I GUESS MY PERSPECTIVE
ON THIS WHOLE THING IS THAT WITH
THE STRONG ECONOMY AS THE STATE
IS HAVING RIGHT NOW, AS STRONG
AS THE BUDGET PICTURE IS FOR THE
STATE RIGHT NOW, WE REALLY DON'T
NEED TO BE DOING THIS WHERE
WAERP KIND OF PITTING PROJECTS
AND PITTING COMMUNITIES AGAINST
EACH OTHER.
WE HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY TO DO
ALL THROW OF THESE GRADE
SEPARATION PROJECTS THIS YEAR.
THREE.
SO THE GAME IS NOT OVER YET.
WE STILL HAVE A COUPLE DAILIES
LEFT IN SESSION.
I'VE LEARNED A LOT CAN HAPPEN
STILL.
THE SENATE WANTS TO PUT TOGETHER
ANOTHER BONDING BILL THAT THEY
CAN TAKE UP OF COURSE ONCE WE
HAVE THE HOUSE ANDERSEN AT BILL
WE GO INTO CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
WHERE A LOT OF THINGS CAN
HAPPEN.
I'M STILL GOING TO BE DOWN HERE
WORKING HARD, TO MAKE SURE WE
CAN GET THIS DONE THIS YEAR.
YOU MENTIONED PITTING
COMMUNITIES AGAINST EACH OTHER.
OBVIOUSLY IT WAS A REPUBLICAN
THAT PUT THIS PUBLIC WORKS PLAN
TOGETHER.
IS HE PLAYING POLITICS, IS THAT
WHAT YOU'RE ALLUDING TO?
I TALKED TO HIM THIS MORNING
AND HE TOLD ME IT'S THE OVERALL
SIZE OF THE BILL AND THE
POSITION THE HOUSE IS PUTTING
ITSELF IN.
THE SENATE WAS AT 1.2 FOR
GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDING SO
THE HOUSE BEING AT $800 MILLION,
SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE, I THINK
THE FINAL BILL WILL COME OUT.
IF WE DO HAVE A FINAL BILL, THE
CLOCK IS CERTAINLY TICKING.
I'M TAKING HIM AT FACE VALUE, I
HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH
HIM PERSONALLY.
SO I DON'T THINK THAT HELPS THE
PROCESS TO BE CALLING PEOPLE OUT
LIKE THAT.
I THINK IT'S JUST A MATTER OF
THE FUNDING LEVEL HERE.
LIKE I SAY, IT'S VERY
UNFORTUNATE THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE
NOT WILLING TO GO TO A FUNDING
LEVEL THAT WE CAN GET THESE
PROJECTS DONE CROSS THE STATE.
COUPLE MORE QUICK QUESTIONS.
AUS KNOW, BNSF HAS COME OUT AND
UPPED THE MONEY.
TALKING ABOUT OVER $5 MILLION
DOLLARS.
THEY SAY THIS IS A LOT MORE THAN
THEY TYPICALLY PLEDGE TOWARDS
THESE TYPE OF PROJECTS.
ONE, IS THE HOUSE OBVIOUSLY
AWARE WHAT BNSF IS WILLING TO DO
AND TWO, HAVE YOU TALKED TO BNSF
AND IF YOU DON'T GET IT DONE
THIS SESSION, COULD THEIR
BUSINESS GO AWAY BECAUSE THEIR
BUSINESS IS DWINDLING AS WELL?
SURE, SHOWER, THAT WAS PART
OF MY
THAT WAS PART OF MY CONVERSATION
THIS MORNING, WAS LETTING HIM
KNOW THE NUMBER WE NEED.
I REALLY APPRECIATE BURLINGTON
NORTHERN, YOU KNOW, STEPPING UP,
SO TO SPEAK AND HELPING OUT THE
CITY OF MOREHEAD WITH THIS
PROJECT.
THEY SEE IT AS A HIGH PRIORITY,
NOT JUST FOR THEIR COMMERCE AND
EVERYTHING, BUT FOR PUBLIC
SAFETY.
AND SO I HAVE NOT SPOKEN WITH
BURLINGTON NORTHERN AS TO
WHETHER OR NOT THAT FUNDING
WOULD STILL BE AVAILABLE NEXT
YEAR, YOU KNOW, WITH THE BONDING
BILL, OR NEXT SESSION.
BUT LIKE I SAY, I REALLY
APPRECIATE THEM, YOU KNOW,
STEPPING UP AND PUTTING IN MORE
MONEY THAN THEY TYPICALLY WOULD.
SO I SEE THAT AS AN ACT OF BEING
A GOOD PARTNER ON THIS PROJECT
AND WANTING TO GET THIS PROJECT
DONE.
LAST QUESTION, YOU HAD THE
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR UP HERE
EARLY ON, OBVIOUSLY THE MAYOR
HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT PUSHING
LEGISLATURES TO MAKE SHOURE WE T
FUNDING FOR THIS OVERPASS.
RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE A COUPLE DAYS
TO GET IT DONE.
ARE YOU 0%, 90%
50%, 90% SHOWER?
NUFL I CAN'T
UNFORTUNATELY I CAN'T PUT A
NUMBER ON IT.
THAT EXTENDS BEYOND THE BONDING
BILL, THAT GOES TO THE TAX BILL,
THAT GOES TO SUPPLEMENTAL BUNDT
BONDING BILLS, TRANSPORTATION
BELLS.
A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN THESE LAST
COUPLE DAYS, SO I'M HOLDING OUT
OPTIMISM.
I'LL KEEP WORKING AT IT, SENATOR
EAGAN WILL KEEP WORKING AT IT.
COME MONDAY, HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE
IN A GOOD SPOT.
REPRESENTATIVE LIEN WE
APPRECIATE YOU JOINING US
TONIGHT FOR A FEW MINUTES.
THANK YOU, CHRIS, I
APPRECIATE IT
WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING
SENATOR LIEN -- KIND OF DO A
MINNESOTA LEGISLATIVE REVIEW.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR THIS
PROJECT TO GET THE PROPER
FUNDING.
CLEARLY IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE FOR
THE PEOPLE IN MINNESOTA, FIRST
RESPONDERS TO GET AROUND TOWN,
STOPPING FOR TRAINS.
WE'LL LET YOU KNOW IF THERE'S
BREAKING NEWS ON THAT PROJECT.
STAY WITH US.
WHEN WE COME BACK THERE'S A BIG
HEAD LINE HOW FRACKING IS