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MIKE MOSS, host:
Fred's been on the line for a while from Leesburg, and he joins us now. He's got a question about Tysons. Fred?

FRED (Caller):
Yes. Hi, Governor Kaine. Nice to speak with you.

Governor TIM KAINE (Democrat, Virginia):
Good to have you.

FRED: Yes. I have a question about the recent announcement by the Federal Transit Administration about -- that they'll extent the deadline to submit--to submit the plans for Tysons Tunnel--

Gov.KAINE: Sure.

FRED: And--and I'm very concerned because we had a rally, and we were supporting so much of that; and also, what is your say on a recent press release by Lieutenant Governor Bolling on pressing you to reconsider the tunnel?

Gov. KAINE: Well, look, the tunnel is a design that the Loudoun Board of Supervisors and the Fairfax Board of Supervisors approved along with MWA and WAMADA (sp). It was not my design. That was the locally-approved design. In April last year, Fairfax asked me, would I suspend four years of work on an environmental impact statement to look at a tunnel option, and--that they had not approved. They had considered it and not put it into the design--and I said, 'sure Fairfax, you're a big player in this. If you're asking me, I'll delay this project.'  And I took four months, and we examined it.  And then we brought the results of that analysis, which was a very high-quality analysis, to the FTA. The FTA said, 'you're four years down the road on an environmental impact study on this.  If you change the design now to a tunnel--you're near the front of the line for funding--you're going to go near the back of the line for funding at a time when the federal government is in deficit and they're cutting transportation monies and other monies. If you go to the back of the line, it's not clear that the money's going to be there for the whole project.' So, we made the decision, at that point, that I was not going to seek to change the Fairfax- and Loudoun-approved design. We have continued to work on that design and--or in dialogue with a contractor that Governor Gilmore entered into a contract with and then with the FTA to submit the proposal to them. The FTA made an announcement that was quoted about two weeks ago to suggest that they would give more time. The very day that announcement appeared in the Post, the FTA staff had called our office at 7:30 and said, 'there's going to be a story--we were misquoted.  You've got to stay on track on this, or you're going to put this thing in jeopardy and move it back.' And so, uniformly, the message to me from the congressional delegation here--from the FTA--has been, 'you can stay on the track that you've been on--that--again, on this locally-approved design, or, if you get off track, you'll go to the back of the line.'

MOSS: But, what about the issue of the will of the local people?  That's something of the issue that you have with the transportation plan that emerged out of Richmond--

Gov. KAINE: Absolutely, Mike.

MOSS: And, in this case, people are saying, 'well, what if we came up with our own independent source of funding...

Gov. KAINE: Sure.

MOSS: ...that would provide the difference between what's on the table right now'--and would be likely approved--'and what it would cost to do the thing underground,' which is the way they believe would be best for Tysons.

Gov. KAINE:  Mike, this is a project that is ultimately about the will of the people locally, and if--if--if all the actors--Fairfax Board, Loudoun Board, MWAA and WAMADA, changed their approval and said, 'Governor, you no longer can go forward with the aerial design,' we'd stop. This was a lo--this was called--the FTA calls this the locally preferred option, because it was embraced by all these localities. If they say stop and go tunnel only, that's what I'll do. But, what I have been told by the FTA is that is going to jeopardize getting rail to Dulles. Rail to Dulles, to serve that corridor--to ultimately serve out into Loudoun County--is such an important thing--should've been done when the metro was first built--and they're a lot of reasons why is wasn't.  But, we have an opportunity to get rail service there. And, what we have been told is we put that opportunity at risk if we change that design after four years of work. Remember, the--Fairfax and Loudoun approved this design in 2002, and it wasn't till April of 2006 they said, 'hey Governor, can you take a look at an alternate?' And we did in good faith--looked at the alternate. But, there is no conclusion, really that I could reach, other than it would jeopardize the entire project. So, if we're--if the locals all said, 'stop pursuing the aerial that we approved,' I'm not going to pursue--

MOSS: And, they've not said that to you?

Gov. KAINE: No, I'm not going to pursue that option over their objection. But, if they tell me to stop, I will. But--

MOSS: Are they sending mixed signals? There's constant discussion around here--local lawmakers and members of Congress who are talking constantly about wanting to change this thing to an underground plan.

Gov. KAINE: You could call it a mixed signal, or you could call it just kind-of--just kind-of human nature.  There is the--perfect is the enemy of the good, as President Kennedy used to say. I would like it if money were a--no object and we were starting this thing from scratch. I would like a new tunnel. I said the reason I delayed is you can see the advantages of a tunnel. But, I'm assuming when everybody approved this aerial route, they thought the aerial route was OK--they think the tunnel might be better, but now people are saying, 'oh, the aerial route is so bad.' Well, gosh. Loudoun and Fairfax considered a tunnel originally and decided the aerial route was the best way to do it. The landowners in Tysons signed petitions by the thousands to create a special tax district around the notion of that aerial route. So, one of the questions I have is: why was this thing so good a year ago and now it's suddenly so awful, and it hadn't changed? But, again, the long-term goal that I am pursuing--I want to get rail to Dulles--that's the goal. I don't want to have--I don't want to have a great, perfect plan on a shelf that doesn't get built. I want to get rail to Dulles. It is still very much in the locality's hands. If they want to change the design, I will respect their wishes, but the word we've gotten from the FTA is we put federal funding at risk if we do that.

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