The head of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority took what one observer called a “shellacking” Tuesday from Virginia lawmakers upset with the authority’s handling of the Dulles Metro rail project. The state House Transportation Committee dished out question after question to authority chairman Charles Snelling about the way the authority made its decisions regarding the nearly $7 billion project, charging that the unelected MWAA board lacked transparency and disregarded public opinion.

“They have to make some substantive changes in how they make their decisions,” said Del. Joe May, R-Leesburg, chairman of the committee. “Both Democrats and Republicans struck a common theme today, which was: You’re managing our very future in terms of transportation, and it needs to be done correctly – and you’re scaring us.”