do you think is primarily at fault in this debacle?  What should they have done differently?  Here are few more possibilities, chose COMPLETELY randomly (ha):

*Frank Wolf
*Jim Gilmore
*Gerry Connolly
*The Bush Administration
*Bechtel
*MWAA

Thanks.

some level of blame for this failure.

this possibility?

Robert W. Dove, co-head of the Carlyle Infrastructure Fund, said yesterday that his company is looking at the possibility of investing in a Dulles rail. Carlyle has not contacted Virginia officials but is reviewing the idea internally, Dove said.

"It does have the characteristics of a project that we would like to be involved with," he said, noting that the infrastructure fund, with assets exceeding $1 billion, looks for such public works as highways, bridges and tunnels in which to invest.

The attraction for Carlyle is the steady revenue from tolls, he said. One possible scenario would be a long-term lease arrangement in which Carlyle owned both the toll road and the rail line, with Metro still in charge of the transit operation.

"Metro would run it, but someone would make a payment to us for making it available every day," he said.

Giving tolling power to a private company is of deep concern to some politicians, who worry that rates would rise unacceptably in private hands.

Is this of "deep concern" to you?

firmly believe that in this case "if you want it bad, you'll get it bad."

Lowell, I'm glad you are on top of this, and providing breaking coverage of these developments.  I also just read this morning's great story in the WAPO by Amy Gardner.

I am firmly against the Carlyle Infrastructure Fund or other private corporations or investors becoming involved in funding rail to Dulles.

We need rail to Dulles, and a tunnel under Tysons.  We will get both if the government releases a well-crafted "request for proposal" and by requiring companies to compete in a competiive bidding process for our taxpayers' dollars.  

The government is responsible to the taxpayers.  Corporations are only responsible to their shareholders and their board of directors. As we all know, there is a big difference here because where you sit, and who is responsible for your paycheck, is "where you stand" on this issue.  

I stand for the people.

I want this project in the hands of government oversight.  I want to serve in Congress and I want to be involved in watching over this process and in leading this region.    

We need the government to deliver a sound request for bids (including side-by-side comparisons of the tunnel option) ASAP on this project.  We'll get a much better series of options back than throwing our hopes, dreams, and taxpayer dollars into a company whose only motivation is to make money for its investors, and who is closely associated with officials who served in the same administration that has cancelled our much-needed Rail to Dulles.

If you don't know about  Tysons Tunnel.org then check it out.  They have a great site and are a wonderful grassroots organization.  

Upset by this and ready for some change?
Come out to the Mount Vernon Democratic Committee Mardi Gras event this Saturday night and vote for me in the first congressional straw poll of the season.  Details are at MVDC Website

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Thanks,
Doug

Do you think that the FTA would make this decision if Tom Davis is planning to seek re-election?  My thought is that this is one more sign that Davis has decided not to run again and that he has already stopped working for his constituents.

It would certainly make it hard for him to claim that he is effective in representing the interests of the 11th.

and not what is in the best interests of his constituents.  I don't know what he is going to do and it doesn't really matter to me.  I filed for this race in August regardless of what he and others will do. His inaction on the Dulles Rail Debacle is just one more indicator of his "all talk and and no action" approach to running this CD.  We need new leadership and we need change. I'm eager to roll up my sleeves and get to work on this and other important issues in the 11th CD.  Less talk, all action.
Thanks for the question.

but I think Leslie Byrne (who I've endorsed for the 11th district nomination) has some interesting comments on her blog.

Why be "shocked" at the Bush Administration's denial of this project when Virginia made it so easy for them. FTA didn't want to do it and Virginia gave them a rationale´. With all the supposed "clout" of Rep. Wolf on the House Appropriations Committee and Rep. Davis former Chair of the House Government Oversight Committee and previous Chairman of the RNCC, they weren't able to find common ground for this project with the White House.

here for more:

Numerous officials, including Fairfax Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly, touted their role in advancing Dulles Rail more than their efforts on any other transportation project. They now find themselves fending off blame.

"Neither the Board of Supervisors nor the governor's office have cloaked themselves in glory on this," said Leslie Byrne, who represented Virginia's 11th Congressional District in the 1990s. "They went forward with an idea that wasn't well accepted, and that's the price you pay for it."

Byrne, who will likely face Connolly in a Democratic primary for her old seat, blamed officials for pushing a flawed project that gave the FTA excuses to kill it. She also faulted the Kaine administration for excessive secrecy and failing to adequately bid the project, and the Connolly-led board for reducing Dulles Rail to a means for approving new development.

"When you focus so much on 'we're going to expand zoning because we're going to have a wonderful rail project,' it became about the expansion of zoning and not really about how to move people most efficiently," Byrne said.

Connolly rejected Byrne's assessment as "utter nonsense," arguing the Bush administration's Department of Transportation is ideologically opposed to large-scale rail investments.

"There is no way to get a passing grade here because the whole system is skewed toward an F no matter what we do," he said. "This was a 'no' in search of a rationale."

Hmmmmm...who to believe on this one, Leslie Byrne or Gerry "Friend of contractors like Carlyle" Connolly?  Also, Byrne really goes after the Kaine administration -- feisty!

on the record warning people that this had to be fixed a long time ago.  It's easy for everyone to armchair quarterback this one after the game is over.  Let's remember who was fighting for change on this project, who had the vision early on that it was flawed and failing.
Take a look at my two public letters at Doug's WAPO Letter and my second letter at https://www.tysonstunnel.org/t...

Lots of blame to go around with Bush, Davis, Wolf and others.  Regarding leadership, let's remember the folks at TysonsTunnel.org who were putting their necks out there early on and warning everyone that it was a failing project.  Let's remember who was standing beside them taking the high road with them. That person was me.

I believe my leadership and outspokenness cost me my position on the Tysons Land Use Task Force.  Remember the "Man in the Arena" quote?  A price I'd pay again if it would have made a difference on this project.  Thanks.

I am letting you know upfront that there is a strong likelyhood that I would be voting for your (R) opponent.

I would still request an answer to this question.  As a potential representative of the 11th district please explain why you are so focused on this project

It seems to me that there are many better ways to be spending over 5 billion dollars especially since the majority of the rail line is outside of the 11th district.

Thanks in Advance  

Lowell, What position has your employer Judy Feder taken on Rail to Dulles?  Since the rail line is critical to 10th CD residents, I presume Judy took a strong stand, but we haven't heard a peep from her in the press since the project was ostensibly killed.

What's the deal?  Did Judy, as a former Clinton administration official who knows how Washington works and understand that the Bush administration which hates rail was never going to give $900 million to NoVA?

Neither Wolf or Davis need this project for reelection.  The conventional wisdom downtown is that the loss of federal funding for Rail to Dulles does little to hinder Frank Wolf's reelection chances.  Conventional wisdom also says Davis is not running again.

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