SD12 - Report of the Commission to Study the Desirability and Feasibility of the Acquisition of Washington National and Dulles International Airports

  • Published: 1974
  • Author: Commission to Study the Desirability and Feasibility of the Acquisition of Washington National and Dulles International Airports
  • Enabling Authority: Senate Joint Resolution 131 (Regular Session, 1973)

Executive Summary:

This is the third report made by the Commission originally created pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution No. 15 of 1971 and continued by Senate Joint Resolution No. 12 of 1972 and Senate Joint Resolution No. 131 of 1973. Initially the Commission was created in response to the annual budget message to the Congress of the President of the United States. Included in the message was the proposal that the Dulles International and Washington National Airports be sold in order to promote economy in the operation of the federal government. At that time there existed no clearly defined guidelines as to the basis on which the ownership of these airports would be transferred; however, it was thought that a possibility of Virginia's coming into possession of these two tremendous transportation facilities might be realized.

Pursuant to the terms of the resolution, the membership of the Commission was as follows: Martin L. Schnider, President, Northern Virginia Savings and Loan Association, Arlington, and Marvin M. Stanley, Associate Dean, School of Business Administration, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, were members appointed by the Governor. The Speaker of the House of Delegates appointed Joseph R. Ambrose, Professor of Government, Christopher Newport College, Gloucester Point; Allen H. Harrison, Jr., Attorney at Law, Arlington; Delegate Dorothy McDiarmid, Vienna; Delegate Stanley A. Owens, Manassas; and Delegate James M. Thomson, Alexandria. Those appointed by the President of the Senate were Senator Leroy S. Bendheim, Alexandria; Senator Adelard L. Brault, Fairfax; Irby N. Rollans, Jr., Executive Director, Optical Wholesalers Association; and B. W. Spiller, President, WCVE-TV, Richmond.

The Commission elected Senator Brault to serve as Chairman and Mr. Owens to serve as Vice-Chairman. The Virginia Advisory Legislative Council and the Division of Legislative Services made staff and facilities available to carry out the study; Laurens Sartoris and Constance Sprouse being assigned to assist the members of the study group.