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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control

Governor’s debate question 1: Columbia River Crossing

VANCOUVER --  Do you support the new bridge over the Columbia River and how will you pay for it?

Rob McKenna: Everyone agrees the crossing is too important to jeopardize. important for regional and national commerce. ... How it's going to be paid for. The heaviest burden falls on Washington taxpayers. Clearly the burden will fall more on washington commuters than oregon's. We need to slow down and make sure we have a sustainable plan. It's one-third each from Washington, Oregon and feds. Need to slow down and have a good plan.

Jay Inslee: It is a national imperative for the economic wellbeing of this country. .. Failure is not an option in building this bridge. All of us are going to do some hard work on building some consensus on the financing package. Clark County residents need to weigh in. . . This bridge will not be built unless we figure out how to get light rail on it...I will do that.

McKenna: Light rail is not necessarily the priority of Washington. It is in Oregon. We'll see in November.

Inslee: It is a reality of federal law. We'll need to find a consensus on light rail.



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