Mark R. Warner

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement on the passing of Lynchburg civil rights leader Walter Fore:

“Walter Fore was a champion for working people and an advocate for social justice when those issues weren’t always popular. He was well-respected in Lynchburg, and Walter was someone I was proud to call a friend for more than two decades. I can say with confidence that there are very few people who I have met during my public service career that were as good and decent as he was, and he will be greatly missed.”

###

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced today that Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport will receive $4,242,708 in federal funds from the Department of Transportation (DOT)’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fund the rehabilitation of the airport’s existing terminal.  Today’s funding was made available through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP).

“The safety of Virginia travelers is the top priority of our airports and the FAA,” said Sen. Warner. “These funds will help renovate the infrastructure that Virginia airports rely on to provide flyers with safe and reliable facilities.”

The AIP provides grants for the planning and development of public-use airports that are significant to national air transportation. 

# # #

“I’m saddened to hear the news of Mr. Butler’s passing last night just one month after the passing of his wife, June. Congressman Butler served his country in the Navy, served the people of Roanoke in the Virginia House of Delegates for nearly a decade, and served our Commonwealth and our country as a member of Congress for a decade after that. Many of us were inspired by his political courage when, as a freshman member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee in 1974, Congressman Butler  voted for the impeachment of President Nixon. The loss of Mr. Butler is a loss for Virginia and our country, and our thoughts today are with his family, colleagues and friends.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine applauded the measures announced by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) to improve the safety of crude oil rail shipments. Following the derailment of 17 tank cars carrying crude oil in downtown Lynchburg in April, Warner and Kaine urged Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx to take action on areas of concern raised by the incident. DoT’s proposal includes several of the measures Warner and Kaine recommended, including enhanced tank car standards and improved communication with local first responders about crude-oil shipments transported through their communities. The proposal released today would require that trains containing one million gallons of Bakken crude oil notify State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) about rail shipments through their states.

“DOT’s decision today to move forward with proposed regulations on crude by rail transport is a positive step, and one that I’ve been advocating for since the Lynchburg derailment,” said Warner, who in June convened a meeting of state and local leaders with federal regulators to hear firsthand the concerns of communities and first responders across the Commonwealth. “There is clearly more work to be done, and we need to ensure first responders have the appropriate information and resources to respond in case there is an incident.  I look forward to working with US DOT, the business community and Virginia localities to move this process forward so that we can protect our communities and transport these materials in the safest possible manner.”

"Incidents like the oil car derailment in Lynchburg earlier this year demonstrate why ensuring safe transport of oil by rail requires the best technology, close coordination with local communities and quick access to information so first responders know what they are dealing with in a crisis situation,” said Kaine. “Senator Warner and I wrote to the Department of Transportation in the wake of the Lynchburg incident to raise these and other concerns, and I'm encouraged by today's announcement of proposed action on several of these fronts. I will closely follow this process to ensure that safety and transparency remain top priorities." 

DoT’s proposed regulations are available for review at www.regulations.gov and will now be open for 60 days of public comment.

Senator Warner brought together more than 80 federal, state and local officials to discuss how to make crude oil-by-rail safer following the April 30 derailment of a 105-unit oil train in Lynchburg. Joining the Senator in Richmond yesterday were representatives from CSX, which operates the railroad, the head of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Lynchburg’s Fire Chief, and the Virginia Secretary of Public Safety, according to the Lynchburg News and Advance. They had a frank conversation about how to improve the safety of these trains to protect Virginians.

Lynchburg’s Fire Chief Brad Ferguson briefed participants on the incident, in which 17 of 105 tanker cars holding volatile Bakken crude oil derailed in the city’s downtown. Senator Warner called it “chilling” to see images of the huge fire, which was caused by only one breached car.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that in July, tanker cars loaded with the same type of crude oil derailed and were breached in a town in Quebec, burning much of the town and killing 47 people.

“We were very fortunate that this car went to the river side and down the bank,” and was more easily contained, Chief Ferguson said.

After discussion amongst the officials and comments from attendees, Senator Warner called for speedy implementation of better regulations for oil trains. He also urged oil producers and rail companies to commit to better safety efforts.

A week after the Lynchburg derailment, the Senator pushed the Department of Transportation (DoT) to require railroads to implement better information sharing procedures with state and local level emergency management officials so that local first responders can be better prepared.

Additionally, he asked DoT to move forward in the process of making rules to improve safety for cars carrying volatile Bakken crude oil.

Following the Senator’s letter, DoT issued two emergency orders addressing the concerns raised in the letter.  The Administration has yet to release proposed rules for oil train safety for public comment and, yesterday, Senator Warner again pushed for progress.

“I think we desperately need to move forward with new safety standards,” Senator Warner said. “The Department of Transportation has been working on this for some time. But it’s time to move these discussions from the discussion phase into the implementation phase.”

WDBJ-TV reported that the Senator said rail shipments of crude oil have increased 46 fold since 2008, and those numbers are likely to continuing growing.

The derailment of a crude oil train in Lynchburg last week prompted Virginia's two U.S. senators to call for action from federal transportation officials on proposed regulations to protect communities from the threat of potentially catastrophic rail accidents.

Sens. Mark R. Warner and Timothy M. Kaine released a letter they sent today to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in response to the derailment of a CSX train on April 30 in downtown Lynchburg, sending 17 oil-filled tanker cars off the tracks and three into the James River. At least one of the tanker cars in the river caught fire and released more than 20,000 gallons of crude oil the train was transporting from the Bakken shale fields in North Dakota to Yorktown.

In their letter, the senators expressed "strong concern" that the Department of Transportation has not released proposed regulations of crude oil rail shipments for public comment and asked for a briefing by department officials on the agency's efforts to carry out recommendations of the National Transportation Safety Board to more tightly regulate hazardous rail shipments of crude oil and ethanol.

STAUNTON -- U.S. Sen. Mark Warner said the Shenandoah Valley's quality of life is a key ingredient in attracting new industry.

But Warner, D-Va., told a roomful of Valley leaders Wednesday that the Valley must capitalize on its tourism offerings and be part of ever improving workforce training to continue attracting jobs.

THE DAILY PROGRESS/RYAN M. KELLY
Sen. Mark Warner tours the EMS simulation lab, designed to replicate tight quarters within an ambulance, at Piedmont Virginia Community College on Wednesday.

"You have millions of people within a three to four-hour drive,'' said Warner, who noted the area's recreation and growing wine industry. Tourism and the area's amenities that include biking can be further exploited to attract visitors and residents, the senator said.

Warner said if isolated Southwest Virginia can exploit its music and recreation opportunities, it should be easier for the centrally located Shenandoah Valley.

Warner spoke to the Shenandoah Valley Leadership Pinnacle conference at the Staunton Holiday Inn. He said the region's many colleges and universities have young entrepreneurs, but said those future business owners need startup capital to stay in the area. He said a strategy is needed to keep the local best and brightest here.

But during a speech and in an interview afterwards, Warner said education is the real key to future economic development.

"We ought to offer computer coding and programming in every high school,'' said Warner, who said the United States is losing tens of thousands of jobs to other countries because those countries are training more computer programmers.

And while it is important to offer specific workforce education at the high school and college level, Warner said education starts at preschool. He praised a preschool initiative in Danville as one that is offering children the start they need.

College training doesn't necessarily mean a baccalaureate degree, the senator said. Earlier Wednesday, Warner visited Charlottesville's Piedmont Virginia Community College. He said the community college's training programs in nursing and radiology technology have job placement levels of close to 100 percent.

He said it is not asking too much for students and parents to inquire about the placement chances of students. "As you make your choice, know as much about higher education as you do when you buy a car,'' he said.

Warner joked about being a member of Congress early in his speech, saying that success in politics in America now is measured more by "saying what is wrong with the other guy."

But as he was wrapping up his speech, Warner said the country's $17 trillion in debt is the biggest threat to the future and to national security.

He said "everyone has to contribute to the solution." That contribution means reforming the federal tax code to obtain more tax revenue and asking young workers in their 20s to delay receiving Social Security by a year when they reach retirement age.

While he is focused on Washington, Warner is aware of the legislative gridlock in Richmond over whether to expand Virginia's Medicaid program. As a former business owner, he thinks Virginia shouldn't allow "Virginia tax dollars to go to other states'' when the commonwealth could use the federal money to expand the program.

But he said reforming the Medicaid program can be a part of the overall acceptance of the $2 billion in revenue that would come to the state from the expansion.

Currently, a deadlock over Medicaid expansion is delaying the passage of the state budget. Legislators are to return to Richmond next week for a special session on the budget.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) announced today that Ann Edwards Rust will serve as his State Director and Lou Arnatt Kadiri will serve as his Deputy State Director. Rust previously served as Deputy State Director for Senator Warner and Kadiri previously served as Constituent Services Director for the Roanoke region.

“I’m proud to announce that Ann Rust and Lou Kadiri will lead my state team,” said Sen. Warner. “They are both incredibly talented public servants who will help expand our work for Virginians. I’m so grateful for their continued service.” Ann Edwards Rust joined Senator Warner’s staff in 2009, and has served as State Services Director and Deputy State Director. Previously, she served in the office of retired Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA-11) for 14 years, including as district director. Rust was appointed to the Virginia Commission for the Arts by then Governor Tim Kaine. She also serves on the board of directors for the Herndon Cultural Arts Foundation and the board for the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP). Rust and her husband, Virginia Delegate Tom Rust (R-86) are members of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Herndon. They have a daughter, two sons and two grandchildren.

Lou Arnatt Kadiri joined Senator Warner’s staff in 2009, when she opened his Roanoke office and served as Constituent Services Director for the region. Previously she served as Executive Director of the Capitol Square Civil Rights Memorial Foundation. During Senator Warner’s campaign for Governor, she served as Deputy Director of Finance. Kadiri went on to join his administration as Director of Gubernatorial Appointments and later Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth. Kadiri is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and is married to Saber Kadiri, with whom she has one son.

Today, Senator Warner skyped into a Longwood University English class to talk with students from all across the Commonwealth.

The President of Longwood University introduced the Senator to the class, remarking, “I’m guessing you’re happy to be in DC now instead of Governor having to clear snow!”

“Taylor, there is not a moment that I would say that. At least if I cleared snow I knew I could get some immediate results instead of this gridlock we have here in Washington,” Senator Warner said.

The topic of the class was “What it means to be citizen leader.” But, before taking questions from students, Senator Warner asked if it was alright if he paused to snap a picture of the students conferencing with him. The students laughed as the Senator admitted he was not as technologically adept as one would expect a co-founder of Nextel to be.

Students asked a range of questions including what the Senator’s most instructive experiences were in his life and what he did to prepare himself for the working world as a college student.

“The best experience and preparation someone can have is failure. I have failed at nearly everything I’ve done at least once. I failed at the first two businesses I tried to start, then I failed in the first election I ran against my now-friend former Sen. John Warner. I hope as young people you take some risks that can ultimately make you a stronger, better person,” said Sen. Warner. “ Until you’ve lost, you haven’t stretched enough.”

On Wednesday morning, Senator Mark Warner headed to tour the nanoTouch facility in Forest. NanoTouch is located in Bedford County’s Center for Advanced Engineering & Research, and produces self-cleaning, microbial reduction surfaces.

"It's great to see cool, innovative tech happening right here in Bedford County," Senator Warner said. "Businesses like nanoTouch are vital to keeping the Commonwealth competitive."

After a quick tour, Senator Warner held a town hall with community and business leaders.

That afternoon, Senator Warner held town hall meetings in Altavista and Rocky Mount. He took questions on the debt and deficit, how to create more jobs, and how to deal with issues that arise with health care reform in a bipartisan way.

In Rocky Mount, Senator Warner also toured the construction of the new Harvester performance facility. Rocky Mount serves as the eastern gateway of the Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail.

As Governor of Virginia, Senator Warner established the Crooked Road, which links significant historic sites and music venues across 10 counties, 10 towns and three cities in Southwest Virginia.