With reports coming down that the Federal Highway Administration has rejected the latest application submitted to toll Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania, comments came in from politicians and organizations.
Here are some of those comments:
Congressman Glenn Thompson
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Glenn `GT’ Thompson, R-Howard, who led the fight against tolling Interstate 80, today (Tuesday) applauded the decision by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to reject the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s application to toll I-80.
“It is clear that the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood followed the letter of the law in making this decision,” said Thompson. “Act 44 never met the criteria set by the federal law. This is the third time FHWA has turned down the application, and we can only hope the third time is the charm, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, governor and leaders in Harrisburg will get realistic about the commonwealth’s transportation future.”
“The last time I spoke to Governor Ed Rendell about this issue, he told me there is no plan B. This was reaffirmed with the governor’s latest budget proposal, which anticipates revenue from I-80 tolls. For the past three years the commonwealth has put all its eggs in the tolling basket and disregarded other options for funding highways and transit. I let the Governor know this is unacceptable,” said Thompson.
Thompson organized several meetings to educate federal officials involved in the decision making process to the shortcomings of Pennsylvania’s tolling application and the grave economic impacts it would have on the state.
On Nov. 19, 2009, Thompson facilitated a meeting with FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez and the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation; several members opposing the tolling plan and interested in gaining more information attended. On Dec. 10, 2009, Thompson wrote a detailed letter to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood expressing all of the strong reasons why I-80 should not be tolled.
Then Thompson and other Members along the I-80 corridor invited a number of State legislators to attend a briefing on Dec. 17 with FHWA Deputy Administrator Greg Nadeau. In that session, 13 State representatives had an opportunity to tell the Deputy Administrator what even the threat of tolling I-80 has already done to local businesses and industry in their areas.
“I would be remiss not to thank the grassroots coalitions and elected officials, who have worked tirelessly to fight this most recent proposal and put an organized voice to the countless Pennsylvanians opposed to the efforts to toll I-80,” said Thompson.
“I and my staff have been in constant contact with the Department of Transportation. Through the interactions there was a request to make our case directly to Secretary LaHood. It was gratifying when he called to set up a meeting for Jan. 19, 2010, in my office,” added Thompson.
Thompson reached out to three of his Congressional colleagues, who, along with Thompson, represent the I-80 corridor and more than 50 percent of Pennsylvania’s land mass. They are: Representatives Kathy Dahlkemper, D-Erie, Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, and Chris Carney, D-Dimock, who joined the meeting with LaHood to make their case against tolling.
“I made the Secretary aware of three strong reasons I-80 should not be converted to a toll road. The first is that it does not meet the rule of law, which clearly spells out that tolling an Interstate should be the last resort—allowed only if there were no other way to improve the highway. Second, the prospect of tolling would have devastating economic impact and ignored local interests. And finally, I strongly oppose the idea that the state should double the size and scope of the corrupt, patronage-ridden Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and allow them to manage the road in addition to the Turnpike,” said Thompson.
“Today is a victory for the people of the commonwealth, but the battle is far from over. Thanks to Act 44 the Turnpike Commission is up to its eyeballs in debt because of the borrowing done based on the premise that I-80 would be tolled. In light of this announcement, I call on our legislative leaders in Harrisburg and all members of the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation—including those seven who sit on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, to come together to find viable and sustainable solutions to our highway and transit funding. The future of Pennsylvania’s transportation system depends upon it and the taxpayers deserve as much,” concluded Thompson
Congressman Joe Sestak
MEDIA – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Congressman Joe Sestak issued the following statement following today’s (Tuesday’s) announcement that Pennsylvania will not be allowed to toll I-80:
“The I-80 issue requires more creativity than has been shown to date and a transparent, accountable working partnership between Harrisburg and Washington. This is not an issue that has developed overnight, but rather over decades of neglect. We have always known that relief from the Federal Highway Administration was far from guaranteed and we have the ability to obtain more resources by other means. Tolls would disproportionately impact the pocketbooks of a certain segment of the state’s population, including small businesses and the residents who live along I-80. Instead, a severance tax on Marcellus Shale drilling, which should have begun this year, would alleviate the burden of infrastructure costs for Interstate 80 and provide for road and transit investments throughout the state.”
State Rep. Matt Gabler
HARRISBURG – State Rep. Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield/Elk) today (Tuesday) issued the following statement upon learning of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) rejection of the latest Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission application to toll Interstate 80:
“Today’s decision by the federal government to keep Interstate 80 toll-free is a huge victory for the residents of our area. This issue has been a major focus of my first year in office, because I know the economy of our region depends on that highway. Nearly everything we buy and sell travels on that road. The defeat of the tolling plan will surely mean a more positive job outlook all along the I-80 corridor.
“In late December, I traveled with a group of state legislators to Washington D.C. at a point in time when we feared that an approval of tolls on I-80 was imminent. In appearing before the FHWA, I stressed Act 44’s failure to adhere to federal law because it explicitly employed toll revenue to support mass transit in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
“Our testimony included comments from local business leaders who spoke to us of the detrimental effects tolls would have on their livelihood and the regional economy, and local residents, wary of the impact on their neighborhood roads from traffic looking to avoid tolls. Just as we attempted to passionately convey these messages to federal officials, we are in turn happy to report the FHWA’s concurrence with the views of the many citizens who knew of the harm tolling would have on those who live and work in the I-80 corridor. I would like to praise the Federal Highway Administration for following the letter of the law in this case.
“As it is in baseball, where three strikes end a player’s at-bat, this third failed attempt at tolling Interstate 80 should bring an end to the senseless waste of taxpayer resources that has been poured into the two previous endeavors. The millions of dollars in legal, engineering and consulting fees from prior applications can be replaced over time by the millions of dollars in economic development our region may realize, now that the shadow of I-80 tolling which stunted growth in our area has hopefully been removed.
“To that end, I will further push to ensure that another application is not pursued. Moving forward, I hope we can instead pursue common sense answers to Pennsylvania’s transportation and infrastructure needs.”
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
GRAIN VALLEY, M.O. – The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) is relieved that the Department of Transportation has rejected Pennsylvania’s plan to toll Interstate 80.
“It shows that accountability and the responsible use of taxpayer resources wins the day and that diversion of those hard-earned dollars for unrelated uses is unacceptable,” said OOIDA’s Director of Legislative Affairs Mike Joyce.
OOIDA, which represents about 156,000 small-business truckers, has protested the proposal since it was first introduced because it is essentially double taxation, is unsafe for other roads, and is not in the best interests of all highway users or businesses in Pennsylvania.
The Association believes that, if passed, such a contract would have locked the citizens of Pennsylvania into a contract that would negatively affect their children and grandchildren while the state’s highway funding has disgracefully been squandered away on non-highway projects. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission are the organizations that attempted to toll I-80.
“As we have been saying for more than two years, the Pennsylvania legislation known as Act 44 was flawed from the beginning, forcing PennDOT and the Turnpike to apply not just once, not just twice, but three times. Hopefully, they recognize they’ve struck out and should take a seat on the bench,” added Joyce.
The Association is thankful to its members for staying involved with this issue and making their concerns known to their representatives in state and federal government.
Thanks also go out to Congressman Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and his predecessor Congressman John Peterson for leading the charge against tolling, as well as Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (D-3rd District), Congressmen Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) and Chris Carney (D-PA) and also state representatives Mario Scavello (R-Monroe County), Scott Hutchinson (R-Franklin) and Michele Brooks (R-Greenville).
OOIDA will continue to work as part of a coalition called the “Americans for a Strong National Highway Network,” which includes other organizations opposed to tolling public highways.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the largest national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more than 156,000 members nationwide. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, Mo., area.