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Letter to the Editor of Roll Call Regarding Metro Funding

by Jim Dinegar, President & CEO,
Greater Washington Board of Trade

April 17, 2007

Roll Call – Letters to the Editor
50 F St. NW, Suite 700
Washington , DC 20001

Dear Editor:

There’s more to the story about Metro than politics (GOP Split on Metro, April 11). No doubt many Roll Call readers working on the Hill know the importance of this transit system. Hopefully Congress also recognizes the federal government’s reliance on Metro – and its responsibilities to it – and passes H.R. 401 - National Capital Transportation Amendments Act of 2007.

Metro is critical to the federal government. In addition to serving our region, Metro was built to serve many existing federal workplaces, including the Capitol, the Pentagon, and the clusters of departments at Federal Triangle, L’Enfant Plaza and the Southwest Federal Center. Proximity to a Metro Station now ranks high in site selection for new federal facilities. At least 50 federal offices and departments are now served by Metro Stations.

The result of these policies is that nearly half of all rush hour commuters are federal employees. The federal government is so reliant on Metro that when the transit system shuts down, federal offices in the Washington area must as well, as we saw with Hurricane Isabel in September 2003.

H.R. 401 supports other national priorities. On September 11, 2001, the Metro system evacuated thousands of federal workers and other commuters from downtown; current federal and regional emergency evacuation plans now rely heavily on Metro. The transit system also helps reduce our dependency on foreign oil. In the Washington region, commuters waste 87.6 million gallons of fuel a year due to traffic congestions, according to Texas Transportation Institute.

This legislation is a thoughtful initiative which would continue the partnership between Congress and the Washington region – amending the National Capital Transportation Act of 1969 - while strengthening federal oversight and Metro funding policies. It requires the local jurisdictions to create a new dedicated funding source, addressing a problem that Congress and the region have struggled with for decades. Stable and reliable funding is needed now to maintain this aging system. The legislation also increases oversight –adding federal representatives to the Metro Board of Directors and requiring the establishment of an Inspector General.

This legislation has bi-partisan support – sponsored by Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), along with the entire Washington regional delegation, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Congress should act quickly to protect this national asset and pass H.R. 401.

Sincerely,

James C. Dinegar
President and CEO
Greater Washington Board of Trade