FEDERAL OFFICIAL BLASTS MTA RECOVERY PLAN.Byline: David Bloom David Bloom (May 22, 1963 – April 6, 2003) was an NBC journalist (co-anchor of Weekend Today and reporter) until his sudden death in 2003 at the age of 39. Early life Daily News Staff Writer The federal government's top transit official has blasted as deficient an MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. plan to get its troubled rail projects back on track. In a letter delivered Wednesday to MTA Chairman Larry Zarian Larry Zarian (b.1937) was the first Armenian-American to serve on the city council in the City of Glendale, California. He also served as Glendale Mayor. He currently serves on the California Transportation Commission. , Federal Transit Administrator Gordon Linton rejected the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's plan to shore up its programs and finances. ``We were disappointed to find serious deficiencies and questionable assumptions in the proposed recovery plan, both technical and financial - and those deficiencies have yet to be rectified rectified refined; made straight. ,'' Linton wrote. Linton demanded ``immediate attention'' to large changes in the way the agency does business. The rejection comes at a difficult time for the agency, because Congress is about to start to make spending decisions and set funding priorities for the next several years under the National Economic Crossroads Transportation Efficiency Act, or NEXTEA. Included in the NEXTEA request is $58 million for design of the east-west San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. rail line and other new projects. Linton said the request is a bad idea. ``We are incredulous in·cred·u·lous adj. 1. Skeptical; disbelieving: incredulous of stories about flying saucers. 2. Expressive of disbelief: an incredulous stare. that, despite the engineering and financial difficulties on the construction already under way, the Board is contemplating even more requests to Congress for various costly extensions to your rail system,'' Linton wrote. The letter is troubling because Linton's agency has been the MTA's biggest ally in Washington in recent years, asking for far more subway construction money than Congress has ultimately appropriated. MTA officials tried to find some good in the blunt language of the six-page letter, but only were able to say they were glad Linton didn't call for killing all federal rail funding. ``This is one of the toughest letters I've seen from the FTA FTA abbr. Future Teachers of America in my tenure here,'' said MTA interim Chief Executive Officer Linda Bohlinger. ``At least they didn't pull the plug. They don't think we have the governance structure or management to pull it off, but I'd like to prove them wrong.'' Zarian said the differences ``are not insurmountable.'' |
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