Cuccinelli on Dulles Rail: “It's a Rip-Off”

Cuccinelli weighs in on Dulles Rail

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli came out locked and loaded against the project to extend Metrorail to Washington Dulles International Airport. 

In a recent appearance on WMAL radio, he said the project should be killed, and called it an “economic boondoggle” the state doesn’t need, according to a report in the Washington Examiner. The Examiner also quoted Cuccinelli as saying about the project, “It’s just not worth it,” and “It’s a ripoff.”

Cuccinelli’s comments are much stronger than those of other Commonwealth officials, including Gov. Bob McDonnell, who have criticized the ballooning cost of the project but continue to support the plan to extend Metro from Fairfax County through the airport to Ashburn.

"We are continuing to work with our partners to refine the scope, reduce the cost, and arrive at a satisfactory financing plan that does not become a burden to taxpayers and toll road users," Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton told the Examiner.

The decision by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to build an underground Metro station at Dulles that would cost $330 million more than an aboveground station has been a contentious point of debate among politicians and officials.  In fact, a negotiation session held last week by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood could not stop the anger

Now Cuccinelli seems to be taking it further.

According to the Examiner, Cuccinelli also took issue on WMAL with MWAA’s decision to pursue a union-friendly labor agreement for the second phase of the project. Virginia is a right-to-work state, meaning union membership is not necessary to secure a job, and workers can't lose a job for refusing to join a union.

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