I joined Justice and Drew today to update listeners with the latest on the Met Council. We touch on Southwest Light Rail, the origins of the Met Council, and more. Takeaway: Don't build the Metrodome of Transit! 

On October 4th, 2017 the Office of the Legislative Auditor released the first in a new series of quarterly audits of our sprawling regional authority, the Met Council, with a focus on its transit financial activity. Transit financials are of particular interest right now, as the Met Council is pursuing nearly $1 billion in federal funds for its much maligned Southwest Light Rail Transit (SWLRT) line that it hopes to impose on the Twin Cities as part of expanding its Metro Transit system.

However, as that project has stumbled, an apparent disconnect has emerged: On the one hand, the Met Council appeared to be telling the federal government that Metro Transit's financials were in good enough shape to earn SWLRT the second highest rating available (Medium-High) from the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA).
 
And on the other hand, the Met Council was telling the Minnesota Legislature (and anyone else who would listen) that its Metro Transit division is facing a structural deficit that must be addressed with additional taxpayer funding.

And the OLA's verdict is...

I joined Justice and Drew on KTLK on Wednesday to discuss the just released audit from the Office of the Legislative Auditor on the Met Council's finances. Rep. Nash joins us in Part 2 of the discussion. I'll have more details on this later in the week.

Listen to the podcast here.

The long and crazy story of the the Twin Cities' proposed Southwest Light Rail Transit line took another twist today as the project sponsor, the Great and Wonderful Metropolitan Council, rejected all four construction bids they have received for the $1.9B boondoggle.

The source of the problem may well be that bids are 30% more expensive as a percentage of overall project cost as was the construction phase of the original leg of the Green Line (SWLRT is an extension of that line, which runs from St Paul to Minneapolis).

Of course, there is much more going here, with a new $20M "Crash Wall" proposed for the line, a lack of environmental analysis, and even a host of left wing critics who are astonished at the brazen way in which the Met Council has tried to ram through recent "tweaks" to the project. 

As Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin recently noted, they "haven't won the argument" on putting through this overpriced Met Council toy.

Stay tuned - much more to come!

Janet Moore of the Star Tribune does a nice job today of updating local residents on our efforts at MSP FairSkies Coalition to improve transparency and accountability on the issue of aircraft  noise.

Next steps in our efforts include speaking directly to the MSP airport's Noise Oversight Committee about our specific goals for measuring, communicating and ultimately reducing aircraft noise in the Twin Cities.  Some of that is mentioned in the article, and of course various posts on this blog.

Interestingly this article appears just days after citizens and the city of Phoenix won a great  victory in their court case against Federal Aviation Administration. The central concern in that case  was the imposition of new flight tracks and noise on Phoenix, the lack of transparency in the process, and ultimately the lack of common sense in how the FAA deals with aircraft noise. 

Picture is by Mark VacCleave of the Star Tribune

​On August 29th, 2017 the DC Court of Appeals delivered an eagerly awaited blow against the Federal Aviation Administration when the Court vacated the FAA’s order implementing new flight tracks from Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, and remanded the matter to the FAA for further proceedings. The case came about when the FAA implemented new flight tracks as part of its NextGen technology package in Phoenix.
 
Having now read the full ruling, I want to call attention to aspects of it I think have implications far beyond how the FAA implements NextGen. Specifically, the Court recognized a few simple facts that seem obvious to citizens, but have thus far eluded the Courts and the FAA. Those are:

1. A 300% increase in the number of flights over a neighborhood is a lot, regardless of how the FAA measures noise (i.e. the logarithmic measurement known as DNL).
2. Thinking otherwise defies “common sense”, and “could not reflect reasoned decisionmaking (sic).”
3. History, and longstanding flight tracks matter, because they help create “quiet oases” that people value, even in urban areas. Destroying those when the FAA has options is problematic and illegal.

 
A few details from the ruling:

Per a press release today from Rep. Jason Lewis (MN CD-02), the FY2018 federal budget request will not fund the Twin Cities' infamous Southwest Light Rail (SWLRT). This expected development is the result of at least four things:

• Rep. Lewis specifically requested Transportation Secretary Chao to not fund the nearly $2 billion boondoggle project, as it does next to nothing to solve congestion issues in the region.
• The entire MN state GOP Caucus did the same, and reminded the Secretary that there is no commitment from the State to subsidize the ongoing operating costs of the SWLRT, as is required.
• The Trump administration has made clear that it does not intend to fund projects that do not already have a federal Full Funding Grant Agreement - which  SWLRT does not have.

Of course, this is really the result of actions by the line's local champion - the unelected, unaccountable Met Council, which has broken promises, lied, and ignored lawsuits as it schemed to ram through SWLRT. The Met Council is now faced with having foolishly spent around $160 million to "plan" for the line.

That $160 million hole in our taxpayer wallet is a natural outcome of the broken governance structure of the Met Council.  That structure features a governing board filled with 17 patronage positions held by unelected friends of the Governor. With its complete lack of local elected officials who represent voters, is it any surprise the Council has utterly failed to build a true regional consensus around this wasteful project (or much else for that matter)?

When this story ends, how  will the Met Council pay for its malfeasance?

What direct recourse do citizens have to demand change and accountability to prevent more Met Council disasters like this?

An amendment sponsored by Rep. Jason Lewis (MN-02) passed committee unanimously today, marking at least the second time Lewis has garnered such overwhelming bi-partisan support during his short time in the House of Representatives. 

In this case it was an amendment to H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which reauthorizes the primary federal law supporting state and local career and technical education. Minnesota has many well-paying, hands-on jobs that increasingly need the type of graduates the program supports, but many parents and students are unaware of these opportunities.  Lewis' amendment would increase awareness of these opportunities, and simplify the transfer of credits earned so that students can graduate sooner. 

Earlier this year, a bill co-sponsored by Lewis to overturn an Obama rule on Metropolitan Planning Organizations passed committee unanimously, and was signed into law after the House voted in favor of it 417-3.

Nice bi-partisan work!