Commentary

My Dad worked for the Norfolk and Western Railroad as a maintenance employee. He and a gang of men worked on the railroad track keeping it perfectly aligned to ensure that the heavy steam engines and the railroad cars did not derail. The work was outdoors and arduous. Workers had to be strong to handle the rails and ties and to work the ballast that held everything in place.

In recent time I feel like I have joined my Dad on the job, but the rail line is in the Dulles corridor and the track is the federal bureaucratic process of project approval. The objective is the same: to keep the train from being derailed.

The steps involved in moving the Dulles Metrorail project forward to federal funding approval go back nearly a decade with the required Major Impact Study (MIS), Environmental Impact Study (EIS), and Preliminary Engineering. Transit alternatives in the corridor from doing nothing to bus rapid transit to heavy rail were studied. The advantages were clearly with a heavy rail system, and all local governments and agencies involved endorsed that Locally Preferred Alternative. Negotiations and communications with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) that must approve the project for federal funding have been going on for years. More information and details were requested and provided. Budget adjustments were required and made. All things seemed in order for approval to enter Final Design.

Much to the surprise and dismay to all involved, the attitude on the part of Federal Transit Administration officials turned negative in recent weeks. Suddenly the FTA administrator questioned the ability of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) to manage the project when his agency had already certified MWAA to manage it, and MWAA has a very successful track record of managing multi-billion dollar projects at the two airports it runs. The FTA administrator questioned the cost of the project when it had been certified by three independent engineering consulting firms as being a true and correct price. He questioned public support for the project when he had in hand public opinion poll results showing more than 90 percent public approval and hundreds of businesses and organizations supporting it.

Some suggest that the change in attitude might be a Bush Administration partisan reaction to Northern Virginia turning blue, but two of the greatest supporters and leaders for the Project are Senator John Warner and Congressman Frank Wolf. Others think the ideological bent of the federal Department of Transportation that leans towards privatization of transit projects may be the problem, but this project is a public-private partnership with businesses in the corridor making major contributions to its cost and the final federal share being less than a quarter of the total cost.

One thing is clear that it will take more than a strong back as my Dad had to keep this train on the track. Everyone needs to get on board to make our voices heard by signing up at www.DullesMetrorailNow.org; calling the White House at 202.456.1111; or joining in the letter writing campaign at the Washington Board of Trade, www.bot.org/railtodulles/.

Around the Capitol with Delegate Ken Plum

The House of Delegates combined and passed several bills including my bills on security breach notification and freezing credit reports. When passed by the Senate and signed by the Governor, Virginia will join about 40 other states that have these important identity theft protections.

Rural legislators continue to insist that hunting be regulated by the General Assembly itself rather than by the professionals in the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. A bill recently passed in the House extends the dog training for bear hunting period.  Currently the training extends from a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. The new legislation extends it from a half-hour before sunrise to four and one-half hours after sunset. Just in case you are interested!

Public-private proposals like the work force housing proposal for the park and ride lot at Fox Mill will be subject to a required public hearing under a bill that I introduced that has passed the House and is in the Senate for consideration.

In its continuing effort to make abortion as difficult for women as possible, the House has once again passed bills to require an ultrasound image of the fetus be shown to the woman as part of informed consent for abortion and to require that pain medication be offered to the fetus. I voted against both bills; they are likely to be defeated in the Senate as they have been in the past.

The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission has issued its annual Virginia Compared to the Other States: A Compendium of State Statistics (http://jlarc.state.va.us). Virginia's per capita income of $39,173 is ninth highest among the states. The national average is $35,065. State and local taxes as a percentage of income in Virginia is 40th lowest among the states.

Delegate Ken Plum's Weekly "Virginia Report"
on Reston Comcast Channel 28

View Delegate Plum’s Virginia Report online at http://www.rctv28.com/videosVR.htm.

Tune in to Reston Comcast Channel 28 on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. and on Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. for “Delegate Ken Plum’s Richmond Report.”

Announcements

Nominate an outstanding environmental leader to win the 2008 Environmental Leadership Award, which will be presented at the Environment Virginia Symposium on April 2, 2008. This award recognizes a Virginian who has made significant individual efforts to better our environment. Nominees will be judged on the basis of Vision, Expertise, Commitment, Integrity, Communications Skills, Diplomacy, Management Skills, and Charisma. Open nominations will close on February 18, 2008. Go to www.environmentva.org for more information.

Visit www.VirginiaHIVtesting.info for a complete listing for HIV testing locations and information.

The Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards honor individuals, groups and organizations that have given outstanding volunteer service. Nominations are due February 22, 2008. Get an online application at www.volunteerfairfax.org.

Mortgage foreclosure prevention counseling is available from Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME). Visit www.phonehome.org or call 804.354.0641.

The Virginia Department of Transportation has published a new “Map of Scenic Roads in Virginia.” For a free copy, email VAmaps@VDOT.Virginia.gov or call 804.786.2802.

For information about upcoming regional and national events related to Sustainable Building, go to www.osva.org. You can also explore case studies of different projects around Virginia at this website.

Calendar of Events

“New Partners for Smart Growth: Building Safe, Healthy, and Livable Communities,” will be held February 7-9 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, D.C. Online registration and more information is at www.NewPartners.org.

The annual Polar Plunge at Lake Anne will be held on Saturday, February 9, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Take a full winter dip, a “Chicken Dip,” or sponsor a brave plunger. Registered participants will plunge into Lake Anne to raise funds for Camp Sunshine. Registration forms and pledge sheets are at www.freezinforareason.com. Spectators are welcome.

The Democratic and Republican Presidential Primary Elections will be held on Tuesday, February 12. Polls open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. Go to your regular polling place to vote. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/eb for information about voting absentee in person or by mail and to download an application for an absentee ballot.

A special groundbreaking event to celebrate the beginning of the major restoration and repair work on Reston's streams will be held on Tuesday, February 12, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at the United Christian Parish Church, 2222 Colts Neck Drive in Reston. This landmark project was made possible through the collaborative effort of innovative leaders in the community who have a passion for preserving Reston's treasured natural environment. RSVP to karen@reston.org.

Bid on treasures from the past at Reston Museum’s “Attic Auction” on Thursday, February 28, 5:30 p.m. Live bidding begins at 6:30 p.m. Visit www.restonmuseum.org for more information about the Museum.

The Carbon Trading-Green Building Connection, a “Build Green Virginia” Event of Virginia Sustainable Building Network, will be held on March 6 in Fairfax. The event is sponsored and hosted by Dewberry at its headquarters, 8401 Arlington Boulevard. Registration has begun on-line at www.vsbn.org. For more information, contact Annette Osso, VSBN President, at osso@vsbn.org.

The Virginia chapter of the American Planning Association will hold the opening session of its annual conference on Wednesday, March 26, at the Reston Town Center. Topic of the conference is “Creating Healthy Communities.” Keynote speakers on the opening day will be Reston founder Robert E. Simon and best-selling author Richard Louv. For information and registration go to www.vaplanning.org.

Authorized and Paid for by Kenneth R. Plum

Delegate Kenneth R. Plum | 2073 Cobblestone Lane | Reston | VA | 20191