I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…thanks to Republican Prince William County supervisors Corey Stewart and Martin Nohe. Why, you ask? Check this out.
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors agreed to join a regional compact Tuesday that calls for jurisdictions in the Washington area to work collectively to solve problems and better the region by 2050.
[…]
The document the board endorsed, the Region Forward report of the Greater Washington 2050 Coalition, outlines nine goals for the region to achieve within 40 years. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments approved the report in January, and Prince William is the 17th of the 21 jurisdictions in the council to endorse it.
Among other things, the Greater Washington 2050 Compact calls for “preservation and enhancement of our Region’s open space, green space, and wildlife preserves;” “a transportation system that maximizes community connectivity and walkability, and minimizes ecological harm;” “a significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions;” and “healthy communities with greater access to quality health care and a focus on wellness and prevention.”
Good stuff, my only problems with this are: 1) it’s not legally binding; and 2) as the compact itself acknowledges, “Many of the goals…are only realizable because of state legislative actions that are already accomplished or may be enacted in the future.” Good luck getting “state legislative actions” in support of this otherwise excellent document from the Flat Earth House of Delegates (Bill Howell et al.) or from Pat Robertson’s Manchurian Candidate (Bob McDonnell). Other than that, I’m very happy to see this compact, and even happier to see Republican-led Prince William County signing on (along with Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax City, Fairfax County. Falls Church, Loudoun, and Manassas Park)!
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
