FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 24, 2018
CONTACT
Clare Flannery
MDB Communications
cflannery@mdbcomm.com
914-659-7805
Washington, DC – Today, in response to the introduction of the Grants for Reliable, Efficient, and Accountable Transit Act in Congress by Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) the MetroNow Coalition, a business, non-profit and advocacy coalition working across jurisdictional lines to improve Metro’s operations by achieving funding and governance reform, released the following statement:
“Metro is a vital component of Greater Washington’s transportation infrastructure that impacts the region’s economic security, quality of life, and global competitiveness. We appreciate Rep. Barbara Comstock’s continued efforts to pass federal legislation to provide necessary capital funding and improved accountability for Metro.
We strongly support reauthorization of the federal government’s investment in the Metro system, as well as efforts to reform Metro’s governance and operations for greater accountability.
It is crucial that Congressional leaders collaborate in this effort to pass a reauthorization of the Metro system this year. The federal PRIIA 2008 authorization of Metro funding has helped return the Metro system to state of good repair. If Congress is unable to authorize Metro this year, the region will lose $300 million in FY2020 for the transit system — a big loss after the historic funding agreement earlier this year by the District, Maryland and Virginia to provide $500 million in dedicated funding.
We look forward to working with Greater Washington’s federal delegation and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to ensure that Metro funding and accountability are top priority.”
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About the MetroNow Coalition
The MetroNow Coalition is a group of regional leaders from organizations representing businesses and non-profit advocates who have come to together to ensure that action is taken to put Metro—the backbone of Greater Washington’s transportation infrastructure—on a safe, smart, and sustainable path forward in 2018 and beyond.