As even critics of the project concede, the federal developments are significant. Sound Transit is waiting to break ground until the FTA makes its final determination, in the next few months, whether to approve the $409 million previously earmarked for light rail--and Monday's developments make that approval appear much more likely.
"It shows that back in D.C., light rail is still clipping along," admits Maggi Fimia of the Coalition for Effective Transportation Alternatives (which opposes the Sound Transit plan). She emphasizes, however, that there are still a number of hurdles to be negotiated before Sound Transit actually receives the money.
And, Fimia adds, the feds "really watch the local scene very carefully," which is why a number of Sound Transit-related bills currently under consideration in Olympia are so significant. In the Washington State Senate, three bills that could conceivably undercut Sound Transit in the eyes of federal authorities were slated for a February 5 hearing before the Senate's Highways and Transportation Committee.
The most directly relevant of the three is Senate Bill 5537, which would force Sound Transit to place its current light rail plan before voters. In 1996 voters approved a 21-mile light rail line running from the airport to the University District--but since then, delays, cost overruns, and technical difficulties have driven Sound Transit to significantly shorten the proposed line. The bill is being co-sponsored by nine senators, including Democrat Margarita Prentice, who represents several South Seattle suburbs.
Though Prentice says she is not opposed to light rail herself, she has heard from many constituents who've told her that they voted against R-51, the transportation initiative, because "they hate Sound Transit." Allowing another vote on light rail may help restore confidence in the state's other transportation initiatives, she argues.
The second proposal, Senate Bill 5538, would replace Sound Transit's appointed board with an elected one. This bill also has substantial support, with 10 co-sponsors. House transportation chair Ed Murray (D-Seattle) says he is also working on his own bill to address Sound Transit's governing structure, though he says he has not yet finalized what approach he intends to take.
The third Senate bill, dealing with the issue of sub-area equity, would essentially kill light rail if passed. The bill would prohibit Sound Transit from pledging Eastside tax revenues to the initial 15-mile South Seattle line.
It may be true that, as Fimia asserts, all of this activity indicates that many state legislators are "just furious" with Sound Transit--but it is not clear that any of these bills will actually be enacted, given the concerted opposition from Seattle Democrats, labor unions, and general contractors.
