Remember the shutdown? Well, the most interesting part of Vince Gray‘s shutdown press conference in front of the Senate—-at least before the mayor decided to go all Tareq and Michaele Salahi on Harry Reid—-came when Gray revealed that, with the District’s $74 million payment to Metro delayed, the transit agency planned on charging the city interest.

The interest would have topped out at just $1,000, according to Metro spokesman Dan Stessel. Still, it seemed like adding a small insult to the injury the District was already experiencing.

Apparently, Metro has had a change of heart. In today’s D.C. Council hearing on the shutdown, City Administrator Allen Lew testified that Metro has decided to let the District off the hook for the interest. Via email to LL, Stessel says the same. So rest easy, statehood backers—-even if the District can’t have budget autonomy, at least you can take the Metro without guilt.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery