US House voice vote against tolling I-80 in Pennsylvania - first shot in a war?
Posted Wed, 2007-07-25 10:38
The US House of Representatives has passed a vote against tolling I-80 as proposed by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the state legislature in its recent state HB1590 legislation. The vote in the US Congress was on an amendment to the annual transportation appropriations bill (HB3074) and it states "None of the funds made available under this Act may be used to establish or collect tolls on Interstate 80 in the Commonwealth (state) of Pennsylvania."
Contrary to some overblown local press reports this doesn't "derail" or "roadblock" the state's plan which was never based on using any federal funds for toll systems or toll collection. The state's HB1590 law provides ample authority for the Turnpike Commission to borrow money if its own cash flows are insufficient to fund establishing a toll system on I-80 and doing toll collection.
The US House amendment passed "on the voices" meaning noone in the House objected to the amendment. Even though it has no direct effect on the Turnpike
Commission's plans it signals an intention of several US Congressmen to take on the state Turnpike Commission and to fight I-80 tolling.
"It is just the first step in a process" we were told by Travis Windle staffer to Congressman John Peterson (Repub Pleasantville PA) who joined with Cong Phil English (Repub Erie PA), another politician local to I-80 in moving the amendment and issuing a blistering press statement attacking state Turnpike's plans.
We told the congressional aide if they were serious about stopping tolling on I-80 they'd shoot for an amendment which stated simply: "No tolls shall be collected on I-80 in Pennsylvania."
Whether such a federal law would stand constitutional scrutiny is an issue only the Supreme Court could decide.
Or, we suggested, they would write a bill which reduced federal highway grants to Pennsylvania by the precise amount of tolls collected on I-80.
Windle said there are limits to what is permissible by way of an amendment in an appropriations bill. An authorizations bill provided far more leeway, he said and the northern Pennsylvania politicians will examine further moves if the Turnpike Commission continues with the tolling plans for I-80.
The Peterson/English amendment was mostly an opportunity for them to stake out a position and gain media coverage against I-80 tolling.
The press release quotes Rep Peterson: "The governor and state legislature's proposal, taking I-80 from PennDOT and giving it to the bloated Turnpike Commission... peppering tolls across rural Pennsylvania was a terrible decision and would cause irreparable economic damage."
Rep English is quoted: "Tolling I-80 rolls up the welcome mat and tells visitors and customers of local businesses to go elsewhere... At a time when western Pennsyvania communities like Sharon need pro-growth policies in difficult economic circumstances, the Rendell proposal slams the door on economic expansion and opportunities in our region. We are not going to stand by while Harrisburg raids western Pennsylvania travelers and picks truckers pockets to prop up Philadelphia's mass transit system."
Peterson says that tolling I-80 is "an effort to support mass transit" in areas already getting the bulk of state subsidies, and that "those who live and do business along the rural I-80 corridor should not bear the burden of supporting transit systems on another side of the state."
The governor should be trying to reduce corporate and fuel taxes to attract business and create jobs, they say.
Tolling I-80 they claimed will "force traffic off I-80 and onto local roads, thereby causing increased maintenance costs, congestion and traffic accidents."
The criticism then changed track suggesting a private toll concession might be acceptable.
"The (I-80 lease) contract should be opened for a competitive bidding process and must not be given to a bureaucracy (the Turnpike Commission) that throughout the years has shown questionable practices and general poor management of resources."
Text of statement
Full text of statement against tolling I-80 under letterhead of Congressman John E. Peterson, Proudly serving Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District, July 24 2007, contact Travis Windle:
Peterson, English Amendment Stops Federal Funds for Use on I-80 Toll Proposal
"Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. House passed an amendment offered by Congressmen John E. Peterson, R-Pleasantville, and Phil English, R-Erie, to an annual
transportation funding bill which prohibits federal funds from being used toward installing tolls and related construction along Pennsylvania’s portion of Interstate 80. Peterson’s district has more of I-80 going through it than any other congressional district in the commonwealth.
"The governor and state legislature’s proposal, taking I-80 from PennDOT and giving it to the bloated Turnpike Commission to (?) peppering tolls across rural Pennsylvania was a terrible decision and would cause irreversible economic damage,” said Peterson, a member of the Appropriations Committee.
"Tolling I-80 rolls up the welcome mat and tells visitors and customers of local businesses to go elsewhere,” English said. “At a time when western Pennsylvania communities like Sharon, need pro-growth policies in difficult economic circumstances, the Rendell proposal slams the door on economic expansion and opportunities in our region. We are not going to stand by while Harrisburg raids western Pennsylvania travelers and picks truckers' pockets to prop up Philadelphia's mass transit system."
"Lead (Led?) by Governor Ed Rendell, a Philadelphia Democrat, I-80 will now be tolled and fall under the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Rendell claimed that there were only two options to finance state transportation funding increases; raise the state gas tax even higher or toll I-80.
"However, Peterson maintains that tolling I-80 is an effort to support mass transit in urban parts of the state, which already receives most of the state’s transportation funding. Peterson believes that those that live and do business along the rural I-80 corridor should not bear the burden of supporting transit systems on another side of the state, while their own transportation needs remain neglected.
“While the governor should be working to reduce Pennsylvania’s corporate and gasoline taxes to attract new business and create jobs, he would rather tax rural folks through tolls to subsidize Philadelphia’s failed SEPTA program,” said Peterson, who served in the State House and Senate for 19 years.
"Peterson also expressed apprehension over placing the operation, management, maintenance and upgrades to I-80 in the hands of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, a government bureaucracy controlled by urban Pennsylvania.
"Small Community transit systems will be bought off with scraps in comparison to what mass transit in other parts of the state will receive. Tolling I-80 will force traffic off I-80 and onto our local highways, thereby causing increased maintenance costs, congestion and traffic accidents,” said Peterson. “The contract should be opened for a competitive bidding process and not be given to a bureaucracy that throughout the years has shown questionable practices and general poor management of resources.”
Peterson continued: “The amount of federal money transferred from the state motor license fund to mass transit funds in Pennsylvania is unprecedented compared to the rest of the country, further underscoring the inequity in the state government’s transportation agencies.”
"A thorough 2005 PennDoT study determined that “based on the long timetable to realize benefits, the high costs of converting the road to toll and the fact that a financial break-even point is decades away, it is recommended that converting I-80 to a toll road not be pursued at this time.” Standing by the study was Rendell’s PennDOT secretary, Allen Biehler, who told a Senate committee that they would not tolls I-80, which has been free since it opened in the late 1960s." [end of statement by I-80 corridor pols English and Peterson]
COMMENT: Gov Rendell never proposed tolls on I-80. They were proposed by the Turnpike Commission and sold by allies like Sen Vince Fumo to the Democrat leadership in the legislature and only reluctantly accepted by the Governor when it was clear his own plan for a longterm lease/concession of the Turnpike mainline was going nowhere.
The notion that tolls do damage let alone "irreparable damage" is absurd. There is a huge economic boom along America's tollroads evidenced by the construction of billions of dollars worth of office buildings, warehouses, hotels and retailing immediately off their interchanges and in their general vicinity. Tolling improves road service and mobility and is good for business.
Present economic circumstances in the US are not "difficult." The country enjoys unprecedented prosperity and opportunity.
The two congressmen mislead in painting the issues surrounding transportation finance in Pennsylvania as partisan. It was the wholesale defection from their leadership of Republicans from the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas wanting Turnpike money for bailing out the mega-loser rail transit systems of those cities that allowed the I-80 toll plan to become law by a large margin.
We agree that the recent performance of the Turnpike Commission and their apparent political dominance in the state is a cause for great concern. I-80 tolling should indeed be opened up for competitive bids rather than simply granted to a state monopoly business, especially not to one with a long history of corruption.
And spending public money on obsolete and inefficient rail transit is a huge waste. The congressmen should stop using the propagandistic term mass transit. Rail transit, outside of Manhattan, is most notable for its lack of any mass of customers compared to the roads which cater to 97% of trips. The lack of any mass to pay fares on rail transit is the reason these systems are such a drag on state budgets.
TOLLROADSnews 2007-07-25
The US House of Representatives has passed a vote against tolling I-80 as proposed by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the state legislature in its recent state HB1590 legislation. The vote in the US Congress was on an amendment to the annual transportation appropriations bill (HB3074) and it states "None of the funds made available under this Act may be used to establish or collect tolls on Interstate 80 in the Commonwealth (state) of Pennsylvania."Contrary to some overblown local press reports this doesn't "derail" or "roadblock" the state's plan which was never based on using any federal funds for toll systems or toll collection. The state's HB1590 law provides ample authority for the Turnpike Commission to borrow money if its own cash flows are insufficient to fund establishing a toll system on I-80 and doing toll collection.
The US House amendment passed "on the voices" meaning noone in the House objected to the amendment. Even though it has no direct effect on the Turnpike
Commission's plans it signals an intention of several US Congressmen to take on the state Turnpike Commission and to fight I-80 tolling."It is just the first step in a process" we were told by Travis Windle staffer to Congressman John Peterson (Repub Pleasantville PA) who joined with Cong Phil English (Repub Erie PA), another politician local to I-80 in moving the amendment and issuing a blistering press statement attacking state Turnpike's plans.
We told the congressional aide if they were serious about stopping tolling on I-80 they'd shoot for an amendment which stated simply: "No tolls shall be collected on I-80 in Pennsylvania."
Whether such a federal law would stand constitutional scrutiny is an issue only the Supreme Court could decide.
Or, we suggested, they would write a bill which reduced federal highway grants to Pennsylvania by the precise amount of tolls collected on I-80.
Windle said there are limits to what is permissible by way of an amendment in an appropriations bill. An authorizations bill provided far more leeway, he said and the northern Pennsylvania politicians will examine further moves if the Turnpike Commission continues with the tolling plans for I-80.
The Peterson/English amendment was mostly an opportunity for them to stake out a position and gain media coverage against I-80 tolling.The press release quotes Rep Peterson: "The governor and state legislature's proposal, taking I-80 from PennDOT and giving it to the bloated Turnpike Commission... peppering tolls across rural Pennsylvania was a terrible decision and would cause irreparable economic damage."
Rep English is quoted: "Tolling I-80 rolls up the welcome mat and tells visitors and customers of local businesses to go elsewhere... At a time when western Pennsyvania communities like Sharon need pro-growth policies in difficult economic circumstances, the Rendell proposal slams the door on economic expansion and opportunities in our region. We are not going to stand by while Harrisburg raids western Pennsylvania travelers and picks truckers pockets to prop up Philadelphia's mass transit system."
Peterson says that tolling I-80 is "an effort to support mass transit" in areas already getting the bulk of state subsidies, and that "those who live and do business along the rural I-80 corridor should not bear the burden of supporting transit systems on another side of the state."
The governor should be trying to reduce corporate and fuel taxes to attract business and create jobs, they say.
Tolling I-80 they claimed will "force traffic off I-80 and onto local roads, thereby causing increased maintenance costs, congestion and traffic accidents."
The criticism then changed track suggesting a private toll concession might be acceptable.
"The (I-80 lease) contract should be opened for a competitive bidding process and must not be given to a bureaucracy (the Turnpike Commission) that throughout the years has shown questionable practices and general poor management of resources."
Text of statement
Full text of statement against tolling I-80 under letterhead of Congressman John E. Peterson, Proudly serving Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District, July 24 2007, contact Travis Windle:
Peterson, English Amendment Stops Federal Funds for Use on I-80 Toll Proposal
"Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. House passed an amendment offered by Congressmen John E. Peterson, R-Pleasantville, and Phil English, R-Erie, to an annual
transportation funding bill which prohibits federal funds from being used toward installing tolls and related construction along Pennsylvania’s portion of Interstate 80. Peterson’s district has more of I-80 going through it than any other congressional district in the commonwealth."The governor and state legislature’s proposal, taking I-80 from PennDOT and giving it to the bloated Turnpike Commission to (?) peppering tolls across rural Pennsylvania was a terrible decision and would cause irreversible economic damage,” said Peterson, a member of the Appropriations Committee.
"Tolling I-80 rolls up the welcome mat and tells visitors and customers of local businesses to go elsewhere,” English said. “At a time when western Pennsylvania communities like Sharon, need pro-growth policies in difficult economic circumstances, the Rendell proposal slams the door on economic expansion and opportunities in our region. We are not going to stand by while Harrisburg raids western Pennsylvania travelers and picks truckers' pockets to prop up Philadelphia's mass transit system."
"Lead (Led?) by Governor Ed Rendell, a Philadelphia Democrat, I-80 will now be tolled and fall under the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Rendell claimed that there were only two options to finance state transportation funding increases; raise the state gas tax even higher or toll I-80.
"However, Peterson maintains that tolling I-80 is an effort to support mass transit in urban parts of the state, which already receives most of the state’s transportation funding. Peterson believes that those that live and do business along the rural I-80 corridor should not bear the burden of supporting transit systems on another side of the state, while their own transportation needs remain neglected.
“While the governor should be working to reduce Pennsylvania’s corporate and gasoline taxes to attract new business and create jobs, he would rather tax rural folks through tolls to subsidize Philadelphia’s failed SEPTA program,” said Peterson, who served in the State House and Senate for 19 years.
"Peterson also expressed apprehension over placing the operation, management, maintenance and upgrades to I-80 in the hands of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, a government bureaucracy controlled by urban Pennsylvania.
"Small Community transit systems will be bought off with scraps in comparison to what mass transit in other parts of the state will receive. Tolling I-80 will force traffic off I-80 and onto our local highways, thereby causing increased maintenance costs, congestion and traffic accidents,” said Peterson. “The contract should be opened for a competitive bidding process and not be given to a bureaucracy that throughout the years has shown questionable practices and general poor management of resources.”Peterson continued: “The amount of federal money transferred from the state motor license fund to mass transit funds in Pennsylvania is unprecedented compared to the rest of the country, further underscoring the inequity in the state government’s transportation agencies.”
"A thorough 2005 PennDoT study determined that “based on the long timetable to realize benefits, the high costs of converting the road to toll and the fact that a financial break-even point is decades away, it is recommended that converting I-80 to a toll road not be pursued at this time.” Standing by the study was Rendell’s PennDOT secretary, Allen Biehler, who told a Senate committee that they would not tolls I-80, which has been free since it opened in the late 1960s." [end of statement by I-80 corridor pols English and Peterson]
COMMENT: Gov Rendell never proposed tolls on I-80. They were proposed by the Turnpike Commission and sold by allies like Sen Vince Fumo to the Democrat leadership in the legislature and only reluctantly accepted by the Governor when it was clear his own plan for a longterm lease/concession of the Turnpike mainline was going nowhere.
The notion that tolls do damage let alone "irreparable damage" is absurd. There is a huge economic boom along America's tollroads evidenced by the construction of billions of dollars worth of office buildings, warehouses, hotels and retailing immediately off their interchanges and in their general vicinity. Tolling improves road service and mobility and is good for business.
Present economic circumstances in the US are not "difficult." The country enjoys unprecedented prosperity and opportunity.
The two congressmen mislead in painting the issues surrounding transportation finance in Pennsylvania as partisan. It was the wholesale defection from their leadership of Republicans from the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas wanting Turnpike money for bailing out the mega-loser rail transit systems of those cities that allowed the I-80 toll plan to become law by a large margin.
We agree that the recent performance of the Turnpike Commission and their apparent political dominance in the state is a cause for great concern. I-80 tolling should indeed be opened up for competitive bids rather than simply granted to a state monopoly business, especially not to one with a long history of corruption.
And spending public money on obsolete and inefficient rail transit is a huge waste. The congressmen should stop using the propagandistic term mass transit. Rail transit, outside of Manhattan, is most notable for its lack of any mass of customers compared to the roads which cater to 97% of trips. The lack of any mass to pay fares on rail transit is the reason these systems are such a drag on state budgets.
TOLLROADSnews 2007-07-25