Honolulu Rail Opponents Have No Case, Feds Say

Ansaldo Honolulu

WASHINGTON — Federal officials are denying a slew of allegations put forth by a group of Oahu residents in a lawsuit designed to stop Honolulu's $5.3 billion rail project.

Attorneys with the U.S. Department of Justice filed a required response to the lawsuit on Friday, rebutting the suit filed against city, state and federal officials in April.

The lawsuit claims that officials failed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, and that the project violates both a section of the Department of Transportation Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. Lawyers for the city formally responded to the lawsuit last month, calling the allegations against the city "based on mischaracterizations of facts and/or law."

Federal attorneys say the rail opponents behind the lawsuit made claims that are "moot" and in some cases unverifiable. But plaintiffs in Honolulu say the response is "telling," even encouraging.

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