Public Policy
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from public policy organizations whose goal it is to influence the debate Washington.
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Trump Administration Offers Verbal Commitment Not to Interfere in Legal Marijuana States
WASHINGTON, April 19 -- The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws issued the following news release:
Republican Senator Cory Gardner (CO) says that he has received a verbal commitment from President Donald Trump that the administration will not take action to disrupt marijuana markets in states that legally regulate it.
"Since the campaign, President Trump has consistently supported states' rights to decide for themselves how best to approach marijuana," Gardner told the Associated Press on Friday. "I received a commitment from the President that the Department of Justice's rescission
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WASHINGTON, April 19 -- The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws issued the following news release:
Republican Senator Cory Gardner (CO) says that he has received a verbal commitment from President Donald Trump that the administration will not take action to disrupt marijuana markets in states that legally regulate it.
"Since the campaign, President Trump has consistently supported states' rights to decide for themselves how best to approach marijuana," Gardner told the Associated Press on Friday. "I received a commitment from the President that the Department of Justice's rescissionof the Cole memo will not impact Colorado's legal marijuana industry."
He added: "Furthermore, President Trump has assured me that he will support a federalism-based legislative solution to fix this states' rights issue once and for all. Because of these commitments, I have informed the Administration that I will be lifting my remaining holds on Department of Justice nominees."
In January, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded Obama-era guidelines directing federal prosecutors not to take action against those who were compliant with state-sanctioned cannabis regulations. In response to that decision, Rep. Gardner had vowed to block all nominees for Justice Department jobs.
In response to the administration's pledge, NORML Director Erik Altieri stated: "We applaud this commitment from President Trump, who promised during his campaign to take a federalist approach with regard to marijuana policy. That campaign promise was not reflected by Trump's appointment of longtime marijuana prohibitionist Jeff Sessions to the position of Attorney General or any of the actions that Sessions has taken since becoming the nation's top law enforcement officer.
Altieri continued, "With the President now reiterating this commitment, it is time for Congress to do its part and swiftly move forward bipartisan legislation that explicitly provides states with the authority and autonomy to set their own marijuana policies absent the fear of federal incursion. Doing so would not only follow through one of Trump's campaign promises, but it would codify the will of the overwhelming majority of Americans."
Rail Design and Safety Veteran Requests Immediate Stop Order for the California High-Speed Rail Project's Fresno to Madera Section
HANFORD, California, April 19 -- The Citizens for California High-Speed Rail Accountability issued the following news release:
Rail design and safety veteran Susan MacAdams has requested an immediate stop order for the Fresno to Merced section, also referred to as Construction Package 1 (CP-1). MacAdams is a Track and Alignment Expert with previous experience working for the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).
She raises concerns about the dangerous mix of track curves, elevations and spirals, and suggests that they are
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HANFORD, California, April 19 -- The Citizens for California High-Speed Rail Accountability issued the following news release:
Rail design and safety veteran Susan MacAdams has requested an immediate stop order for the Fresno to Merced section, also referred to as Construction Package 1 (CP-1). MacAdams is a Track and Alignment Expert with previous experience working for the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).
She raises concerns about the dangerous mix of track curves, elevations and spirals, and suggests that they aremore appropriate for amusement park rides.
MacAdams has yet to study the curves in Construction Package 2-3 (CP 2-3) which runs from Fresno to Bakersfield, but feels that if she were to, she "would come to the same conclusions."
For years, the leadership of Citizens for California High Speed Rail Accountability (CCHSRA) has heard rumors about flaws in the design of the track alignment for the California High-Speed Rail. We've heard that certain "Japanese engineers" are astounded about how the state is building the track. In fact, there is credible documentation that outlines the specific problems with track design.
The email below was sent by Ms. MacAdams on April 11, 2018 to the CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority and is a public record. We believe it's the start of a series of devastating revelations about the track design.
April 11, 2018
To: Brian P. Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, California High Speed Rail Authority, 770 L Street, Suite 620, Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: REQUEST FOR IMMEDIATE STOP WORK ORDER FOR MERCED TO FRESNO SECTION
Public Safety should be paramount in any track design for High Speed Rail (HSR), but the design for the track curves across the Herndon Overpass structure north of Fresno is a public safety hazard and poses a serious threat to derailment.
See chart here (http://cchsra.org/rail-design-and-safety-veteran-requests-immediate-stop-order-for-the-california-high-speed-rail-projects-fresno-to-madera-section/).
Background
Building straight tracks along the UPRR corridor from Merced to Fresno was the shortest route for HSR.
In 2012, the track route called the Hybrid was chosen by the Authority. This route veers from the UPRR corridor and zig-zags across open farmland. The sixty mile straight route now contains nearly 25 miles of high speed curves and horizontal super-elevated spirals with an additional ten miles of track. Trains will travel over the curves and spirals on ballasted track built on alluvial soil at 220 mph. The California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) officials continue to state that this route between Merced and Fresno is the backbone of the high speed rail system, yet this backbone has developed scoliosis, or curvature of the spine; the area in question will need a spinal brace.
(See Attachments 1A and 1B for Merced to Fresno Section alignment.)
This is a request for an immediate Stop Work Order for the Fresno to Merced section to reevaluate the curve designs. This report focuses only on the curve north of Fresno between Herndon Drive and the San Joaquin River. However, similar alignment flaws are shown on the Authority's construction drawings in Madera County for the Chowchilla Boulevard/UPRR Bridge, the Fresno River Bridge, the two single track crossovers between Avenue 10 and 12, and the entire Wye complex surrounding the storage facility site. Each of these high speed rail curves should be re-evaluated, realigned and reconfigured as they each contain similar alignment problems that will lead to future operational and maintenance hazards and derailments.
Dangerous Design
North of Herndon Drive in Fresno, near the San Joaquin River, there is a wide support structure for high speed rail currently being constructed over a single UPRR track. (See Attachments 2 and 3.) As the HSR tracks curve northwards, this wide track support structure transitions into tall support columns. (See Attachments 4 and 5.) The trains will travel at 220 mph on top of these 60 to 100 foot tall structures. Near the transitional area between the wide deck and the support columns, the track design calls for a combination of overlapping horizontal and vertical curves. This combination violates the Authority's own Criteria for safe track design. The track design is extremely dangerous; this track design cannot be easily built or safely maintained, thereby creating a significant risk of derailment.
The Draft Environmental Report, the Final Environmental Report and the Construction Documents all use the same curve design for this track; the two sets of environmental documents are identical. This is non-standard practice for good curve design. Usually, in critical locations such as this, between the draft, final and construction documents, multiple track designs are evaluated in order to determine the best and safest fit. For this alignment, there was only one proposal. A single drawing from the Final EIR will be used for ease of argument.
For five years, I was the Manager of Metro's Green Line track contracts in Los Angeles. This included the Aviation Wye, which is located on the southern boundary of the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The size and type of the structures near LAX are similar to the size and type structures from Herndon Drive to the San Joaquin River. On the Los Angeles project, there were many track alternatives studied before the trackway was built. There is not any evidence of any other track design proposed for this critical structure near the San Joaquin River.
At the overlap of vertical and horizontal curves, the tracks begin to curve away from the large structure; three mathematical models are needed to construct the tracks, an unsafe track engineering practice. (See Attachments 6, 7 and 8.) A horizontal spiral curving outwards is built on top of a vertical curve going downwards. (See Attachment 9.) The tracks will be super-elevated from zero to six inches on one side, while the trains are spiraling downwards on a maximum grade slope across the top of a vertical curve. Normal track design does not allow this combination except in amusement parks and coal mines; this is not Disneyland and all of the curvature for HSR should be seriously investigated. The northbound train has the greatest potential for derailment when traveling across the peak of the vertical curve. Maintaining a slower speed may actually make things worse.
This combination of curves is avoided in rail and roadway design criteria, including the CHSRA Criteria. (See Attachment 10A, 10B, 10C and 10D.)
For high speed rail, due to the large radius and length of curves, there can be some overlap at the edges. But in this case, the horizontal spiral and the vertical curve are on top of one another. It will be impossible to build, maintain and operate trains safely over this combination.
Fresno suffers from extreme heat and cold. This will result in extremes in the expansion and contraction of the rail and the structures. Rail and concrete expand and contract at different rates. Has this been taken into account in the curve designs that are built on the structures? (See Attachment 11.)
Summary: Combining a horizontal spiral that increases from zero to six inches of super-elevation with a maximum grade vertical curve built on top of a transitional structural support system in a geographical area that experiences extreme temperature range is very dangerous for trains traveling at any speed. This is a request to immediately issue a Stop Work Order to the Contractor for all structures on the Merced to Fresno segment of California High Speed Rail.
Please see additional attachments for further information.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Susan MacAdams
Track and Alignment Expert
Former High Speed Rail Planning Manager,
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)
Metro Red, Blue and Green Lines, Los Angeles
Light and Heavy Rail Track Design and Construction: Baltimore, Boston, & Washington DC susan.macadams@gmail.com
Presbyterians to Commemorate Earth Day on Sunday
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky, April 19 -- The Presbyterian Church USA issued the following news:
Presbyterians will be joining millions of people worldwide on April 22 to commemorate Earth Day, an annual awareness campaign focusing on earth care and the need to protect the planet from harmful pollution and degradation.
Earth Day began in 1970 when millions protested the negative impacts of industrial development. The day is now commemorated by nearly 200 countries and coordinated by the Earth Day Network.
"The environmental work we do in the Presbyterian Hunger Program is grounded in Scripture, Reformed
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky, April 19 -- The Presbyterian Church USA issued the following news:
Presbyterians will be joining millions of people worldwide on April 22 to commemorate Earth Day, an annual awareness campaign focusing on earth care and the need to protect the planet from harmful pollution and degradation.
Earth Day began in 1970 when millions protested the negative impacts of industrial development. The day is now commemorated by nearly 200 countries and coordinated by the Earth Day Network.
"The environmental work we do in the Presbyterian Hunger Program is grounded in Scripture, Reformedtheology and the numerous General Assembly policies that call us to care for creation, including the 1990 foundational policy 'Restoring Creation for Ecology and Justice,' " said Jessica Maudlin, PHP's associate for sustainable living and earth care concerns. "As a church, we have Earth Day Sunday, where churches can focus their services and activities around caring for God's creation."
Each year, PHP works with Creation Justice Ministries to develop resources for Earth Day Sunday.
"The theme this year is 'A Sense of Place,' so we are excited about the resource and hope that it is something folks can identify with," said Maudlin. "Even if they don't use it on Earth Day Sunday, it's created so it can be used any time of year."
Presbyterians are encouraged to take part in activities such as marches, meetings with elected officials, tree planting or cleaning up their own communities.
"There's a church in Minnesota that is planning a community fair, complete with informational booths and activities," said Maudlin. "They also plan to have a new, low-emission vehicle on display. Other activities include trainings on how to use the local recycling facilities as well as information about gardening and composting."
Dennis Testerman, moderator of Presbyterians for Earth Care, says churches' environmental work has brought people into the fold who might not otherwise come to church.
"I recently interviewed Presbyterians involved with solar energy and many said that visitors and new members selected their church because they saw solar panels on the roof," he said. "Many Presbyterians are not only engaged in earth care in their congregations and in the denomination, but through environmental organizations like the Sierra Club, whose founder, John Muir, had Presbyterian roots."
Both Testerman and Maudlin believe that interest in earth care has been growing in recent years.
"There are a lot of reasons for that, including a change in public policy regarding environmental protection. I get a lot of phone calls from Presbyterians and my sense is that they are very passionate about earth care and want to support as well as connect with efforts to protect the planet," said Maudlin. "I've heard from a number of Presbyterians who are proud that the denomination is lifting this up as an issue."
Testerman says the rollbacks of domestic environmental protections from regulations to public lands have catalyzed many people into action.
"The inclusion of ecological devastation is one of the four evils in America identified by the Poor People's Campaign and has brought national attention to the intersectionality of systemic racism, poverty and ecological devastation," he said. "The Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis and PC(USA) Co-Moderator Rev. Denise Anderson are just two of the visible leaders that are reminding the nation and the world that our central vocation calling is to 'serve and preserve' God's creation."
Testerman says awareness is growing in terms of the relationship between world hunger and environmental problems, including climate change.
"I hope I am witnessing greater focus on proactive initiatives to make communities more resilient to the ravages of drought and storms," he said. "There will always be a role for reactive responses such as sending food, water and medical supplies to storm-damaged areas. But initiatives that foster sustainability are the way forward to the future."
There are 209 Presbyterian churches across the country that have been designated as Earth Care Congregations, a certification based on efforts to care for God's creation through worship, education, facilities and outreach.
"Every year, we see more and more churches interested in applying. I think it is important to Presbyterians and it's been great to hear their stories," said Maudlin. "Earth care initiatives have attracted people that traditionally didn't feel they had a place in the church, but were really passionate about the environment. It could be solar panels, composting, the use of rain barrels. It's bringing communities together."
Click here for more information about becoming an Earth Care Congregation.
Efforts to care for the earth have been made by the Presbyterian Center as well. The center, which is in Louisville, Kentucky, and includes the offices of the Presbyterian Mission Agency and Office of the General Assembly, recently won the Louisville Energy Alliance's annual Kilowatt Crackdown Award. The citywide competition challenges building owners and operators to decrease energy use in their buildings. The center won for best office facility.
The Presbyterian Hunger Program can work on environmental concerns because of gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing.
Nebraska Farm Bureau Reminds Farmers, Ranchers of USDA Blizzard Recovery Programs
LINCOLN, Nebraska, April 19 -- Nebraska Farm Bureau issued the following news release:
Nebraska Farm Bureau is encouraging Nebraska farmers and ranchers impacted by the recent blizzard to take note of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) disaster assistance programs designed to help producers recover from natural disaster events.
"As we continue to hear from members about damages and losses associated with the recent blizzard, it's important producers don't forget that there are programs available to assist them," said Steve Nelson, Nebraska Farm Bureau president. "USDA has been extremely
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LINCOLN, Nebraska, April 19 -- Nebraska Farm Bureau issued the following news release:
Nebraska Farm Bureau is encouraging Nebraska farmers and ranchers impacted by the recent blizzard to take note of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) disaster assistance programs designed to help producers recover from natural disaster events.
"As we continue to hear from members about damages and losses associated with the recent blizzard, it's important producers don't forget that there are programs available to assist them," said Steve Nelson, Nebraska Farm Bureau president. "USDA has been extremelyhelpful in identifying several programs that could aid those dealing with excessive loss. The most important thing a producer can do once they know they've experienced damage or loss is to get in contact with their local USDA service center as soon as possible."
Among the programs available to producers are the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP). The LIP offers payments to eligible producers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather. The ELAP provides emergency relief for losses due to feed or water shortages, disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, which are not adequately addressed by other disaster programs.
"Prompt reporting and verifiable documentation of losses are critical to being eligible for assistance under these programs," said Nelson. "Producers need to submit notice of losses and the appropriate documentation within 30 calendar days of when the losses became apparent."
According to the Farm Service Agency (FSA), producers should record all pertinent information regarding livestock losses due to the eligible adverse weather loss or condition, including:
* Documentation of the number, kind, type, and weight range of livestock that have died, supplemented if possible by photographs or video records of ownership and losses;
* Rendering truck receipts by kind, type, and weight - important to document prior to disposal;
* Beginning inventory supported by birth recordings or purchase receipts;
* Documentation from Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Department of Natural Resources, or other sources to substantiate eligible death losses due to an eligible loss condition;
* Documentation that livestock were removed from grazing pastures due to an eligible adverse weather or loss condition;
* Costs of transporting livestock feed to eligible livestock, such as receipts for equipment rental fees for hay lifts and snow removal;
* Feed purchase receipts if feed supplies or grazing pastures are destroyed.
"USDA has several other programs in addition to LIP and ELAP that producers might find of assistance in their recovery efforts. These programs exist to help producers. We encourage those dealing with losses to contact their USDA service center to see which programs maybe of assistance to them," said Nelson.
For more information on programs, producers should visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/disaster.
Producers can find their local USDA service center at http://offices.usda.gov.
The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service and advocacy efforts. More than 61,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska's economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit http://www.nefb.org.
Faith Leaders, Clean Energy Advocates Urge Utility Commission to Reject IPL Rate Hike
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, April 19 -- The Sierra Club issued the following news release:
Today, over a dozen faith leaders and clean energy advocates marched through downtown Indianapolis, stopping at Indianapolis Power and Light's (IPL) Headquarters, Mayor Joe Hogsett's Office, and the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC). The group of marchers carried with them a letter signed by over 50 faith leaders and activists against the rate hike; they delivered the letter to the mayor, IPL and the IURC.
IPL's current rate hike request fails to protect Indianapolis area families already struggling
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INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, April 19 -- The Sierra Club issued the following news release:
Today, over a dozen faith leaders and clean energy advocates marched through downtown Indianapolis, stopping at Indianapolis Power and Light's (IPL) Headquarters, Mayor Joe Hogsett's Office, and the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC). The group of marchers carried with them a letter signed by over 50 faith leaders and activists against the rate hike; they delivered the letter to the mayor, IPL and the IURC.
IPL's current rate hike request fails to protect Indianapolis area families already strugglingto pay high electricity bills. IPL's monthly bills have already increased 45% during the last decade for the average customer, even though incomes in Indianapolis declined by 8%. Now, IPL is seeking to further increase customer bills by requesting an increase to the fixed charges on bills from $17 to $27. Increasing customers' monthly fixed charges takes more money out of customers' paychecks each month, even before using any electricity.
Faith Leaders' Letter reads as follows:
"We, clergy and faith leaders, ask you to oppose Indianapolis Power & Light's (IPL) fixed fee increase request in Cause Number 45029.
"During his first official mass as Pope in 2013, Pope Francis preached:
'Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be "protectors" of creation, protectors of God's plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment.' -Pope Francis, 2013
"We believe that IPL, as a regulated utility monopoly in Indiana, and charged with serving the public interest, should act as protectors of our community. To do so, we believe that the electricity we use in Indianapolis and across Indiana should be affordable and generated by wind and solar.
"IPL's current rate hike request fails to protect Indianapolis area families who are already struggling to pay high electricity bills. IPL's monthly bills have already increased 45% during the last decade for the average customer, even though incomes in Indianapolis declined by 8%.
"Meanwhile, IPL continues to fail to protect the environment and by asking customers to bail out the super-polluting Petersburg Generating Station, a coal-burning power plant that is hurting the planet and Hoosier health. Research even shows that phasing out, not bailing out, Petersburg could save customers over eighty million dollars while protecting public health and protecting against further environmental devastation.
"To act as protectors of our community, IPL should take immediate action against poverty and pollution; problems that IPL helped create--but could also help solve. IPL should create programs and policies that set affordable rates for low-income customers. Every IPL customer should live in safety and dignity, without fear of utility shutoffs. As a summary of the NAACP Lights Out in the Cold report states, 'humans have a right to safe, affordable, sustainable power. [Utilities]... should ensure access to electricity for all people." IPL also should begin to phase out Petersburg and move Indianapolis towards 100% renewable energy."
Two hearings are being held on IPL's request to raise our electric bills:
HEARING 1: Monday, April 23, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: Arsenal Tech High School (Anderson Hall), 1500 E Michigan Street, Indianapolis IN 46202
HEARING 2: Monday, May 7 at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: New Augusta North Middle School (Auditorium), 6450 Rodebaugh Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46268
Can Jailed UAE Activist Become Mascot for Manchester?
WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Human Rights Watch issued the following report:
More than a year after he disappeared into the custody of United Arab Emirates security services, with almost no news of his whereabouts or wellbeing, the prominent UAE activist Ahmed Mansoor suddenly reappeared last week.
Not, as his family might have hoped, to walk free after more than 365 days of arbitrary imprisonment. Instead it was to appear in an Abu Dhabi court to face charges of publishing "false information" on social media.
Until he was snatched from his family home in the UAE at dawn on March 20 last year, Mansoor
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WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Human Rights Watch issued the following report:
More than a year after he disappeared into the custody of United Arab Emirates security services, with almost no news of his whereabouts or wellbeing, the prominent UAE activist Ahmed Mansoor suddenly reappeared last week.
Not, as his family might have hoped, to walk free after more than 365 days of arbitrary imprisonment. Instead it was to appear in an Abu Dhabi court to face charges of publishing "false information" on social media.
Until he was snatched from his family home in the UAE at dawn on March 20 last year, Mansoorwas one of the country's last outspoken critics. Despite being harassed for years by the Emirati state, he fought peacefully for the rights of others, including political prisoners, and won a prestigious award for his activism. His arrest and disappearance have effectively silenced him, but others are determined that Mansoor and his work should not be forgotten.
Some 4,000 miles away in Manchester, a group of residents have launched a campaign to name a street after the jailed activist in a bid to highlight his plight and broader human rights abuses in the UAE.
Why Manchester?
Because the UAE, through its deputy leader Sheikh Mansour, has invested billions of pounds into both the city and its eponymous football club that he owns, Manchester City.
The UAE, and the many public relations firms it employs, likes to paint the Emirates as a modern, reform-oriented country - and Sheikh Mansour's investments in Manchester and English football only reinforces this. But this is nothing more than a rosy fiction so long as the UAE continues to lock up activists, journalists, and critics.
So it's right and welcome that Manchester citizens are starting to ask why their city is being used to launder the UAE's reputation.
And it's a question that Ahmed Mansoor may well be asking himself as he enters his 14th month of illegal detention.
Stephanie Hancock
Senior Media Officer
CAGW Names Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser April 2018 Porker of Month
WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Citizens Against Government Waste issued the following news release:
Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser its April 2018 Porker of the Month for attempting to bail out the failing Washington Metrorail system by taxing Uber and Lyft riders.
The Metrorail system in Washington, D.C. has been in crisis for nearly a decade. It has been dubbed, "the worst in the world," and its financial situation has been labeled a "death spiral." The system has become infamous for train derailments, track fires, disabled trains, long delays,
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WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Citizens Against Government Waste issued the following news release:
Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser its April 2018 Porker of the Month for attempting to bail out the failing Washington Metrorail system by taxing Uber and Lyft riders.
The Metrorail system in Washington, D.C. has been in crisis for nearly a decade. It has been dubbed, "the worst in the world," and its financial situation has been labeled a "death spiral." The system has become infamous for train derailments, track fires, disabled trains, long delays,and even fatalities.
Most of these issues stem from internal failures and a lack of accountability. Even after shutting down huge sections of track affecting numerous stations for months at a time in order to fix arching insulators in 2016, the number of track fires rose in 2017. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) was forced to fire of a third of its inspection staff in 2017 because they were caught falsifying track reports. On March 3, 2018, Federal Transit Authority inspection notes revealed that WMATA track workers were still reclassifying badly defective tracks so they would not have to repair them.
This decade of failure has caused thousands of riders to flee the system. Fiscal year (FY) 2017 ridership was down 12 percent, creating a revenue shortfall of $125 million. In June 2017, WMATA began cutting operating hours and raising fares.
As WMATA spiraled downward, use of ride-sharing apps Uber and Lyft surged. At an October 2017 news conference to unveil an Uber driver-support center, Mayor Bowser pinned WMATA's decline where it should be, saying, "I wouldn't start with Uber; I would start with Metro itself."
But less than six months later, Mayor Bowser submitted a budget that "would be among the most radical examples of raising tax revenue for transit through ride hailing." She proposed hiking the tax on Uber and Lyft riders from one percent to 4.75 percent, well above other comparable cities. Lyft President John Zimmer said, "I don't know that charging people more on this one is actually getting at the heart of the issue."
CAGW President Tom Schatz said, "Mayor Bowser's tax hike on ride-sharing is designed to bail out the D.C. Metro after years of internal mismanagement and lack of performance. She should not have wavered from her original statement that WMATA's problems can only be solved by WMATA."
For attempting to bail out Washington's Metrorail system on the backs of ride-sharers, CAGW names Mayor Muriel Bowser its April 2018 Porker of the Month.
Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government. Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.
