Subject: Re: Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail Claims $5 Billion in Funding from Japanese Government Bank for Washington-Baltimore Maglev Line
From: "Boardman, Joseph" <[email-masked]>
To: "Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2014 18:07:42 +0000

Good. Just heading up to Rome for weekend. Will touch base next week. Hope you are well. JB

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 5, 2014, at 2:00 PM, "Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>> wrote:

Let me know if you would like to discuss/ meet.

RHB
202.333.1880

On Sep 4, 2014, at 5:06 PM, "Boardman, Joseph" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>> wrote:

FYI Hunter

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Slattery, Richard" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>
Date: September 4, 2014 at 2:17:01 PM EDT
To: "Boardman, Joseph" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>
Cc: "Stadtler, DJ" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>, "Clements, Jeffrey K" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>, "Acheson, Eleanor" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>, "Herrmann, William" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>, "Gibbons, Rod" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>, "Kulm, Steve W" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>, "Gardner, Stephen J" <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>>
Subject: Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail Claims $5 Billion in Funding from Japanese Government Bank for Washington-Baltimore Maglev Line

Mr. Boardman:

FYI in case you haven’t seen.  http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-maglev-wba-franchise-20140903,0,3067588.story.

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation identified as providing the $5 billion in funding is a Japanese government-owned bank that provides loans for foreign investments. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Bank_for_International_Cooperation.

The referenced filings with the Maryland Public Service Commission (MD PSC), in which Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail (BWRR) seeks to acquire the franchise to operate a rail line from Baltimore to Annapolis that was abandoned by the Washington Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad in 1935, are at http://webapp.psc.state.md.us/Intranet/Casenum/submit_new.cfm?DirPath=C:\Casenum\9300-9399\9363\Item_1\&CaseN=9363\Item_1.  As indicated in the early 20th Century Maryland laws creating the franchise that are appended to the filing, the franchise includes the right of eminent domain, which would enable BWRR to condemn property to create a right-of-way and construct a Maglev line within Maryland.

There’s no indication of how BWRR intends to acquire a right-of-way within the District of Columbia to construct an overhead Maglev line and/or underground tunnel.  It’s hard to imagine the District of Columbia having any enthusiasm for authorizing BWRR to tear up the city for construction of a Maglev to Baltimore

I suspect there will be an interesting legal battle at the MD PSC over whether the franchise abandoned in 1935 still exists, and if so whether it should be transferred to BWRR.  BWRR is represented by DLA Piper, a large law firm with which former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, previously identified as an adviser to BWRR, is affiliated.

The November 2013 POLITICO article about the Maglev project in which you are quoted is attached.

Rich Slattery

Richard G. Slattery
Director, Corporate Transportation Research & Strategy
Corporate Research & Strategy
Amtrak
60 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 906-3987
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>

<MAGLEV November 2013.doc.docx