Northrop Grumman Location Decision – A Missed Opportunity for Transit and Energy Efficiency
For Immediate Release
July 13, 2010
Contact:
Stewart Schwartz, CSG, 703-599-6437 (cell)
Northrop Grumman Location Decision – A Missed Opportunity for Transit and Energy Efficiency
“Northrop Grumman’s location decision is disappointing,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, “we had contacted the Governor, local elected officials and the company urging them to select a current or future Metro station location. A Metro station location would minimize Northrop Grumman’s contribution to our terrible traffic and to set an example for greater energy efficiency.
In selecting the Fairview Park site at Route 50 and the Capital Beltway, the company also said it might shift its government relations staff out of its convenient Rosslyn Metro location and move them to the Fairview Park site. Transit connections from Fairview Park to the Pentagon, Crystal City, and Capital Hill are limited and use of the Metro requires a two mile drive to the nearest station, Dunn-Loring/Merrifield. “Northrop employees will waste time and money sitting in traffic as they try to make it to meetings,” said Schwartz.
“Given our severe traffic problems and lack of transportation funding, we should reserve our valuable economic development incentives for companies that choose efficient locations tied to frequent transit service. Companies are free to choose where to locate, but how we use our scarce tax dollars is another matter,” said Schwartz.
“Our dependency on foreign oil and overall high rates of energy consumption threaten our national security and our economic security,” said Schwartz. “Since Northrop-Grumman is in the defense business they could have set a great example for other employers contemplating moving to or expanding in the region.
”With less than 5% of the world’s population, the U.S. consumes 25% of the world’s oil, with 70% of that going to transportation. Sixty to seventy percent of our oil is imported, much of it from unstable parts of the world. “Smart growth and transit oriented development contribute to reducing our oil dependency and our economic competitiveness,” concluded Schwartz.
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