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Madigan Responds to Peterson/Rendell debate on Interstate 80 TollsTowanda - Responding to the ongoing debate about the tolling of Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania between Congressman John Peterson (R) and Governor Ed Rendell (D), Senator Roger A. Madigan (R), Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee called for a tempering of the rhetoric and a focus on the issue at hand. "We should be past the point of stone throwing and tantrums. The public debate on transportation funding needs has been ongoing since 2004 and should come as a surprise to no one," Madigan said. "Our options were unpleasant any way you looked at them, but we have made a decision to provide additional funds which will grow to over a $1 billion annually for transportation needs in the Commonwealth in a manner that attacks the root of much of the problem for Pennsylvania, our geography. We are right in the middle of all of the major shipping routes from the east coast to the west and south, freight and passenger traffic all goes through the Keystone state." Faced with options such as a significant jump in gasoline taxes, adopting a tax on oil companies or real estate transactions, leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike to a private company, or doing nothing, the General Assembly adopted what is now Act 44. The new law provides for an annual contribution from the Turnpike which begins this year at $750 million and grows to over $1 Billion by 2015. The law requires that tolls increase on the Turnpike and that I-80 become a toll road to provide for a partial, but significant, portion of this funding. "I suggested that the fuel tax was an option to many of my colleagues, but nobody, including the Governor, was interested," Madigan said. "Our Constitution provides protection for fuel tax funds so that they cannot be used for non-highway purposes and it's an indirect user's fee in that the amount you pay is directly reflective of how much you use the system, but the public said they opposed this option. In the end we could not simply ignore this problem any longer and the idea to toll Interstate 80 was the only consensus option available." The decision to toll Interstate 80 has prompted an attempt by Congressman Peterson to block the conversion from free to toll road, which sparked strong comments from the Governor about reviving the idea of leasing the Turnpike to a private operator. "Governor Rendell needs to remember that there was virtually no support for the idea to lease the Turnpike when he launched the idea in February and it doesn't appear that much has changed among the majority of legislators since then," observed Madigan. "If the Congressman or other lawmakers want to undo the transportation package, they should provide, at minimum, an introduced bill that provides the same level of funding, and enacts the taxes needed to achieve that level, as does Act 44." Madigan added. "The time for finger pointing and posturing is over." Madigan stated. "The tragedy in Minneapolis should wake us up to what can happen when we ignore infrastructure needs. Now is the time for bold leadership at the national level for dealing with transportation maintenance issues," added Madigan. By enacting the transportation funding bill Pennsylvania becomes among the few states who have taken action this century to increase transportation funding. "It is now time for Uncle Sam to get into the race or get off the track." Contact: Craig Shuey
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