Transportation

Today SEEC Leadership, including Co-Chairs Reps. Gerry Connolly, Doris Matsui and Paul Tonko, and Vice-Chairs Reps. Matt Cartwright, Alan Lowenthal, Mike Quigley, Chellie Pingree and Jared Polis released the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement that the greenhouse gas standards for model year vehicles 2022-2025 are no longer appropriate, giving the EPA room to lower the standards finalized by the Obama Administration. “The benefits of the clean ca... Read more

Mike Snider President Trump again took aim at Amazon, blasting it for hurting retailers as well as the U.S. Postal Service. Do his criticisms ring true? Brick-and-mortar stores have closed by the hundreds, as retail chains struggle to compete with the convenience of online shopping, a transformation led and dominated by Amazon. The U.S. Postal Service has been roiled by the same gale-force technology winds, as Americans abandoned mail for email and other electronic communication. But the post o... Read more

A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for our area this evening into tomorrow. Here is some helpful information from Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Fairfax and Prince William counties. VDOT is responsible for plowing most roads in Northern Virginia. To report a road problem, call 1-800-367-7623 (1-800-FOR ROAD). VDOT has a new web tool that shows the status of plowing in northern Virginia neighborhoods at: www.vdotplows.org. You can also follow VDOT's local updates on Twitter @vado... Read more

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released the following statement on the Trump Administration's regulatory rollback: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 10:00 AM, Wednesday, March 13, 2018 Rayburn 2154 Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA) Thank you, Mr. Chairman for holding this hearing on federal agency rulemaking and guidance practices. At the end of last year, the President held an event to tout the Admi... Read more

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) released the following statement on the Trump administration’s budget proposal that would cut the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA) funding from $150 million to $120 million: “I am beyond disappointed that the Trump administration chose to cut funding for Metro in its FY2019 budget. Especially, at a time when most of our area delegation is fighting for the federal government to double its contribution and pay its fair share for the transit sy... Read more

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) was joined by Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Representatives Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Sarbanes (D-MD) Beyer (D-VA), Raskin (D-MD) and Brown (D-MD), in introducing the Metro Accountability and Investment Act. The legislation reauthorizes an existing federal capital funding source for WMATA for ten years and provides new federal capital and operating funds contingent on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) adopting specific Insp... Read more

Congressman Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), released the following statement on Senator McConnell’s concessions on a three-week funding bill: “It is shameful that President Trump and Republicans inflicted this shutdown on the American public. I will vote to reopen government because we have big challenges that our constituents demand we address like ending sequestration, fighting the opioid crisis, and fixing the DACA problem the President created. I will also vote yes because Senator McConnell pledg... Read more

Kate Ryan Monday morning’s derailment along Metro’s Red Line comes as regional lawmakers are discussing ways to pay for capital improvements for Metro, including the possibility of dedicated funding. In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan has said he is open to regional funding for Metro. In September, he offered to have Maryland pay $500 million dollars over a period of four years if Virginia and D.C. would do the same. In Maryland’s General Assembly, twin bills are being drafted that would do essentia... Read more

Shannon Ryan “It seems like we probably derailed leaving the Farragut North station. We might of hit some rails, some loose rails. We are obviously stuck in the tunnel. There's no radio transmission on my radio,” according to officials. Officials discussed smoke and communication issues that were factors in the 2015 fatal incident at L’Enfant plaza. We have activated the fan...in the exhaust mode … to keep the smoke in the tunnel going up through the exhaust,” stated officials. Various politici... Read more

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) released the following statement on the GOP tax plan: “The tax plan before us today would be a disaster for Northern Virginia. The GOP plan caps the state and local income deduction. It caps the mortgage interest deduction. And it phases out the medical cost deduction. Our district, where 50 percent of tax filers claim a SALT deduction, is one of the top congressional districts in the nation affected by this change, and 75 percent of our district’s SALT claimant... Read more