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The governing board of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority will be getting a major overhaul soon.
Congress approved a restructuring of the board late Thursday as part of its must-pass “minibus” bill that funds the government through mid-December. The president is expected to sign the bill Friday.
The changes, introduced by Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., will allow the governor to remove appointees from the board “with cause” while forcing governors to immediately replace board members whose terms expire.
Wolf pressed for the bill after Northern Virginia leaders complained earlier this year that the regional MWAA board was being secretive and unresponsive to Virginia’s needs. The authority, which is in charge of constructing the $6 billion Metro rail line to Dulles International Airport, angered local officials by insisting on a more expensive underground rail station at Dulles rather than the cheaper aboveground station favored by those paying for it.
The legislation increases the size of the MWAA board from 13 to 17 and gives two of the new seats to Virginia and one each to D.C. and Maryland. The new board include seven members from Virginia, three from Maryland, four from D.C. and three from the federal government.
Virginia officials indicated earlier this week that they would be appointing two new members to the board immediately.
