Contact: Jill Shatzen
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WOLF STATEMENT ON DOT IG REPORT ON MWAA
 

Washington, D.C. (November 1, 2012) – Rep. Frank Wolf (VA-10) today issued the following statement on the release of the Department of Transportation’s IG report on the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA):

“The MWAA described in this report is not the MWAA created 25 years ago.  Something has gone terribly wrong in recent years as the board that governs MWAA spiraled into dysfunction.  MWAA must immediately implement all the recommendations detailed in the IG’s report so it returns to the authority we once knew.

“The issues raised by the IG are serious and troubling.  The successful operation of Ronald Reagan and Washington Dulles airports and the Metrorail extension project requires an organization that is ethical, honest and beyond reproach.  Public trust in MWAA is imperative as the airports are partly funded by taxpayer money, and the extension project partly by tolls on the Dulles Toll Road.  MWAA must be a good public steward of taxpayer and toll-payer dollars.

“While MWAA has made some progress since the interim IG report was released in May, it clearly still has a long way to go.  Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood’s decision to appoint an accountability officer is a critical bridge until a permanent IG is established in law. Moreover, the board members who have recently been seated – and those appointed to serve in the near future – should carefully review the IG’s final report and see for themselves the types of issues that have plagued the authority in recent years.  

“I want to thank Inspector General Calvin Scovel, his audit team and the entire Department of Transportation for their dedication and hard work in producing today’s report.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Wolf last year requested the IG report to examine MWAA’s policies and procedures, including contracting practices, ethics and transparency. Wolf has also introduced legislation to create a special post with the sole duty of providing long term oversight of MWAA.