Connolly Asks OPM and Metro How Future Snow-Related Closures of Fed Govt Can be Avoided Government closure in the Nations Capital Region, at a cost of $100 million per day, might have been averted if Metro had adequate capital and operating funds
BigNews.Biz - Feb 15,2010 - Congressman Gerry Connolly believes that last week’s snowstorm-induced federal government closure in the National Capital Region, at a cost of $100 million per day, might have been averted if Metro had adequate capital and operating funds to cover needed equipment and additional labor costs required to handle the extreme weather.
Connolly has written Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry and Metro General Manager John Catoe to ask that very question and find out what decision-making processes and what challenges the two agencies face when extreme weather conditions strike.
“With more than 40 percent of federal employees dependent on Metro to get to work and more than half of all Metro stations located on federal property, the federal government has more than a passing interest in the safety and reliability of the Metro system,” Connolly said.
The Northern Virginia Congressman said, “At a cost of $100 million per day in lost productivity totaling $250 million since Friday, the federal government has a financial incentive to ensure that Metro operates efficiently and effectively regardless of the weather.”
Connolly has asked Berry to describe the decision-making process to close federal agencies and what role Metro’s operating status plays in that process. He asked Catoe what additional capital or operational resources could help Metro more quickly recover when extreme weather strikes.
“We may find ourselves in a situation where a modest federal investment to help Metro cope with bad weather can save the federal government and taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars,” Connolly said.
Connolly Letter to OPM Director Berry
http://gerryconnolly.house.gov/uploads/Connolly%20--%20Berry%20Shutdown%20Letter.pdf
Connolly Letter to Metro
http://gerryconnolly.house.gov/uploads/Connolly%20--%20Catoe%20Shutdown%20Letter.pdf
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