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The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

State Sen. Ed Murray Not Keen on MVET Money as Part of Tunnel Plan

News   January 30, 2009 at 3:03 pm Josh Feit

Sen. Ed Murray (D-43, Capitol Hill) says there are three reasons his viaduct bill doesn’t include any mention of the $120 million in motor vehicle excise taxes for expanded transit that were supposed to be part of the tunnel plan 

1. “No one asked for it,” Murray said, explaining that he wasn’t approached by any of the environmental groups who are pushing for the money or by any one from King County. (King County was originally promised the $120 million in MVET money for signing off on the tunnel deal with Governor Gregoire).

While Murray’s “No one asked for it” line might sound like a jokey answer, and could imply that the missing money was a minor oversight, and it’s still on the way (which is how the County played it when I asked them about this in my earlier post), the rest of Murray’s comments should probably alarm those who are counting on the money  

2. “520. All these [I'm not going to repeat Sen. Murray's adjectives] environmentalists need to think about more than the Viaduct,” Murray says. Murray went on to explain that the six-lane 520 replacement is going to “tear through” and “destroy Seattle neighborhoods” and there needs to be environmental mitigation  money for that. “Why aren’t the environmentalists focusing any energy and attention on 520?” he asked, making the case that 520 mitigation is a bigger issue than the Viaduct. With limited sources, Murray said flatly, MVET taxes might have to go to 520 and not the tunnel plan.

Murray’s third reason was the one that could prove the real death knell for the $120 million in transit expansion:

3. “With the economy collapsing, I’m not sure we can go asking for millions in transportation taxes,” he concluded.


  • Michael

    “Why aren’t the environmentalists focusing any energy and attention on 520?”

    Maybe because they all have families, jobs, other commitments up the ying-yang and are all ready maxed out?

    Putting the ball back in Murray’s court, if he’s so concerned about 520 why hasn’t he gone to the environmentalists and enlisted their help?

  • Michael

    “Why aren’t the environmentalists focusing any energy and attention on 520?”

    Maybe because they all have families, jobs, other commitments up the ying-yang and are all ready maxed out?

    Putting the ball back in Murray’s court, if he’s so concerned about 520 why hasn’t he gone to the environmentalists and enlisted their help?

  • Gary

    Sen. Murray’s points are also arguments for not funding the bored tunnel and instead focusing our limited tax dollars on other priorities.

  • Gary

    Sen. Murray’s points are also arguments for not funding the bored tunnel and instead focusing our limited tax dollars on other priorities.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @2,

    That’s funny. And a good point.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @2,

    That’s funny. And a good point.

  • true progressive

    Ed Murray is the PROBLEM. The fruitcake is a hairdresser by training. The legislature has no idea what it is doing when it comes to transportation. It formed the monorail for Christ’s sake. You think part-time know-nothings can design transportation systems better than professionals who’ve devoted careers to it?

  • true progressive

    Ed Murray is the PROBLEM. The fruitcake is a hairdresser by training. The legislature has no idea what it is doing when it comes to transportation. It formed the monorail for Christ’s sake. You think part-time know-nothings can design transportation systems better than professionals who’ve devoted careers to it?

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @4,

    “The fruitcake…” ?

    Please keep the the homophobic junk (and any other weird stuff like that) out of the comments.

    Thank you.

    And fact check: The legislature did not form the monorail. The agency was created by the voters. Twice.

  • http://publicola.net/ Josh Feit

    @4,

    “The fruitcake…” ?

    Please keep the the homophobic junk (and any other weird stuff like that) out of the comments.

    Thank you.

    And fact check: The legislature did not form the monorail. The agency was created by the voters. Twice.

  • Al Borowitz

    Yeah, keep the name calling out of it.

    But Josh – saying the monorail was created by voters is just like saying George Bush was created by voters.

    The monorail authority was designed and put into power by a handful of guys. They are the ones who drafted both the statutes the legislators adopted in 2002 and the terms of the ordinance the voters approved later that year.

    Can you identify them?

  • Al Borowitz

    Yeah, keep the name calling out of it.

    But Josh – saying the monorail was created by voters is just like saying George Bush was created by voters.

    The monorail authority was designed and put into power by a handful of guys. They are the ones who drafted both the statutes the legislators adopted in 2002 and the terms of the ordinance the voters approved later that year.

    Can you identify them?