On Monday the price for a barrel of oil reached $130, with some industry analysts predicting it could hit $200 by as early as next year.

So for those students commuting, visiting family over the summer or flying across the state it will all get more expensive.

About 10 years ago when the idea of a high-speed California rail was proposed, officials from all over the state flew to France to try out its high speed train. Impressed, they came back to California and created a plan.

This November on the upcoming ballot there will be an initiative for a $10 billion state bond. It was supposed to be on the ballot in 2004 and again in 2006 but was delayed because of the state’s fiscal problems. So why should Californians support it now? Well it is about a short term hit for long-term investment.

The train would alleviate congestion problems in San Diego and Los Angeles, and then again in San Jose and San Francisco. The current $10 billion would be used just for production of the Los Angeles to San Francisco leg of the journey. Quentin Kopp, chairman of the Rail Board, told the Examiner recently that the bond would enable construction to begin in 2009, with a completion estimate of 2020.

This speaks even more to the long-term security of the state; can we honestly expect oil prices to fall by 2020, or airline tickets to steady in price? The rail would offer an alternative that would continue to be increasingly cheaper.

According to the rail board, construction would create 160,000 jobs and the rail itself would create an additional 450,000. This, along with fewer emissions from cars and trucks, taking people and cargo up and down the state, not to mention planes and buses, is enough incentive alone. Points that Gov. Schwarzenegger has publicly stated to the Fresno Bee these same positive environmental effects.

The project would cost an estimated $30 billion total, with the rest of the money to come from private investment.

“High-speed trains will bring a stronger, more efficient economy and nearly half a million jobs. High-speed trains offer a way forward for all Californians,” Senior Vice President Jim Lazarus of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce said in a press release.

In 2007 the U.S Senate passed the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act. The act would cover 25 percent of the production costs with federal funding. Local funding from the cities that hope to get the rail would account for another $4 to $7 billion according to the California high-speed rail Web site.

Also the rail would act as a time saver; Sacramento to San Diego, the furthest points on the rail would take 3.5 hours—which although not as fast as flying—passengers would not have to go through the extensive airport security or deal with delays.

Although students would not be using this train while attending SF State, it is still in your interests to approve the bond this November. It is better for you, the environment and the state. There is still danger of the initiative not making the Ballot, in March a group of students biked up the projected route of the train to try and gain support, the local television media covered it and it generated some buzz. Write your state legislators and the governor, telling them that this is an important measure for the future of California.

“For What it’s Worth” is a regular opinion column in the Business and Technology section, the opinions expressed are those of the columnist and not those of [X]press.