The federal government’s rejection Tuesday of Pennsylvania’s
application to toll Interstate 80 — Gov. Ed Rendell’s main plan for
funding highway, bridge and mass transit projects statewide — means
that funding for those projects is back to the drawing board.

Rendell held a press conference to confirm the rejection and
explain that a special session of the state Legislature would be
called to look for ways to replace that $450 million or more that
would have come from tolling Interstate 80.

The decision by the federal government was warmly welcomed by
northern Pennsylvania legislators.

“It is clear that the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray
LaHood followed the letter of the law in making this decision,”
said U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa. “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.”

“I am very pleased with the decision by the Department of
Transportation,” Thompson added. “This is a tremendous victory for
both the citizens and businesses that live along the Interstate 80
corridor, and also a tremendous victory for all of Pennsylvania. To
place tolls, or what is essentially a tax, would have taken the
Pennsylvania economy, which is not good now, and made it
worse.”

Thompson noted Pennsylvania currently struggles, ranked 47 out
of the 50 states on a scale of competitiveness and being
business-friendly.

Also, Thompson explained that meetings with the governor to
discuss the issue did not turn up any viable discussions of
alternatives.

“I have met with the governor over the past 15 months on this
issue and talked with him,” Thompson said. “I asked point-blank
since I really believed, knowing the law, that this application
would be denied, what his Plan B was. The governor said he had no
Plan B.

“It is certainly time for Plan B when it comes to funding
transportation infrastructure in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.”

State Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, also expressed approval
of the decision, as well as hope that the situation will be looked
at from a different perspective and a solution found.

“This is what I’ve been saying all along, that the federal
government should reject the application. I am glad they did make
that decision. I was part of a group of legislators who went to
Washington to argue that the application should be rejected. It is
just not fair to come to the northern part of Pennsylvania to toll
a highway and use the funds statewide to fund transportation. The
impetus was more funding for mass transit in the larger cities. It
was just not right when that’s the main goal.

“We need to go back to the drawing board to come up with a fair
and equitable transit solution.”

State Rep. Matt Gabler, R-DuBois, was also among the group of
legislators visiting Washington to argue for the application’s
rejection. Now that the application has been denied three times,
Gabler says he will fight against any further attempts to apply for
the toll.

“Today’s decision by the federal government to keep Interstate
80 toll-free is a huge victory for the residents of our area,”
Gabler said. “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…

“…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.”

Lt. Gov. Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway, also weighed in with approval
on the third rejection of the application, noting the timing of the
rejection as the economy continues to struggle is what is best for
the Commonwealth.

However, Scarnati also touched on the concerns that now face the
state in terms of finding the funds needed to repair the state’s
roads and bridges.

“While this decision is meaningful, it does nothing to solve the
current demand to fund our rapidly deteriorating roads and
bridges,” Scarnati said. “As I have stated time and time again,
citizens can argue on how best to solve our infrastructure issues …
no one can argue that a crisis exists.

“Moving forward, it would be beneficial if our federal
legislators would work with the General Assembly and the
Administration in satisfying funding demands,” Scarnati added.
“Unfortunately, their involvement did not take place until state
legislation was already enacted. We need more federal dollars and
we need active participants with solutions, not federal officials
looking for popular headlines.”