Article overstates sanitary commission’s holdings
Re: “Md. water agency seeks another 7.5 percent increase,” Feb. 9
This Washington Examiner article incorrectly stated that the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission has “111,000 miles” of pipe, and that 41 miles of this pipe would be replaced this year.
WSSC has a total of 10,700 miles of pipe, which includes 5,400 miles of water pipe and 5,300 miles of sewer pipe. We are replacing 41 miles of water pipe this year.
John C. White
Public affairs manager,
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
Laurel
Komen was right to defund Planned Parenthood
Re: “Surprises about Planned Parenthood cancer testing,” Feb. 8
The referenced Associated Press report is nothing more than a puff piece for Planned Parenthood’s tyrannical attack on Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s decision to defund PP.
PP receives almost half ($461 million) of its billion-dollar annual revenue from taxpayers and has profits of almost $20 million, yet it called on most of the media and at least 26 Democrat U.S. senators to attack Komen over $700,000, which is peanuts to PP.
Komen, which is free to spend its money as it sees fit, said it defunded PP because PP is under investigation for defrauding the government of $88 million by overbilling for birth control bills and charging $750 for intrauterine devices that cost less than $300.
Investigations of PP are under way by the federal government and 18 states, so Komen was right to defund PP.
Diane Hess
Damascus, Md.
Dulles Rail will make traffic worse in Loudoun
Re:” Dulles Rail back on track, managers say,” Feb. 2
Before doing research and reading up on all the details of the Dulles Rail Phase II project in various newspapers, we were excited for it to be built. But now we are firmly against this ill-conceived plan and have asked our Loudoun County supervisors to opt out this spring.
There has been little documented benefit besides the vague idea, with no hard numbers, that mass transit generally reduces traffic. But the ridiculous plan to raise tolls to pay for the project will, in fact, make traffic congestion worse for most Loudoun residents.
The fact that Phase II will not meet federal minimum-population thresholds for mass transit tells the board enough about its viability. Most importantly, the open-ended Phase II will put Loudoun in eternal bondage to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for many millions of dollars a year, with little control of how this poorly run, unelected organization runs its “business.”
This whole plan reeks of corruption. The only ones benefiting are WMATA, its cohorts and some real estate owners who want it to hike up the value of their property, even if it will not hold that value as this deal destroys Loudoun and Fairfax’s economy long term.
If a rail line makes sense for Loudoun County at some point, the county should set the rules, design the plan and retain full control over it.
Jean-Paul and Sarah Bergeaux
Leesburg
