In addition to other powers granted in this chapter, the Authority shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
1. Providing general oversight of regional programs involving mass transit or congestion mitigation, including carpooling, vanpooling, and ridesharing;
2. Providing long-range regional planning, both financially constrained and unconstrained;
3. Recommending to federal, state, and regional agencies regional transportation priorities, including public-private transportation projects and funding allocations;
4. Developing, in coordination with affected counties and cities, regional priorities and policies to improve air quality;
5. Allocating to priority regional transportation projects funds made available to the Authority and, at the discretion of the Authority, directly overseeing such projects;
6. Recommending to the Commonwealth Transportation Board priority regional transportation projects for receipt of federal and state funds;
7. Imposing, collecting, and setting the amount of tolls for use of facilities in the area embraced by the Authority, when the facility is either newly constructed or reconstructed solely with revenues of the Authority or solely with revenues under the control of the Authority in such a way as to increase the facility’s traffic capacity, with the amount of tolls variable by time of day, day of the week, vehicle size or type, number of axles, or other factors as the Authority may deem proper, and with all such tolls to be used for programs and projects that are reasonably related to or benefit the users of the applicable facility, including for the debt service and other costs of bonds whose proceeds are used for such construction or reconstruction;
8. Providing general oversight of regional transportation issues of a multijurisdictional nature, including intelligent transportation systems, signalization, and preparation for and response to emergencies;
9. Serving as an advocate for the transportation needs of Northern Virginia before the state and federal governments;
10. Applying to and negotiating with the government of the United States, the Commonwealth, or any agency, instrumentality, or political subdivision thereof for grants and other funds available to carry out the purposes of this chapter and receiving, holding, accepting, and administering from any source gifts, bequests, grants, aid, or contributions of money, property, labor, or other things of value to be held, used, and applied to carry out the purposes of this chapter subject, however, to any condition upon which gifts, bequests, grants, aid, or contributions are made. Unless otherwise restricted by the terms of the gift, bequest, or grant, the Authority may sell, exchange, or otherwise dispose of such money, securities, or other property given or bequeathed to it in furtherance of its purposes;
11. Acting as a “responsible public entity” for the purpose of the acquisition, construction, improvement, maintenance, or operation, or any combination thereof, of a “qualifying transportation facility” under the Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995 (§ 33.2-1800 et seq.); and
12. Deciding on and voting to impose certain fees and taxes authorized under law for imposition or assessment by the Authority, provided that any such fee or tax assessed or imposed is assessed or imposed in all counties and cities embraced by the Authority. The revenues from such certain fees and taxes shall be kept in a separate account and shall be used only for the purposes provided in this chapter.