Thompson said to date, the commonwealth and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) have not returned an amended application to the Federal Highway Administration (FWHA).
The FWHA returned the application of the PTC and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to toll I-80 because it didn't meet the requirements for approval under federal law.
Concerns of the FWHA are that revenue from tolls on I-80 would be used for purposes other than maintenance of I-80 and would violate the program requirements. This action effectively repudiates Act 44, which authorizes tolling of I-80 and requires toll revenue from the interstate to be used for payments to PennDOT to fund Pennsylvania's other transportation and mass transit needs.
"While we had won a few of the battles, especially the FWHA rejection of the turnpike commission's second failed application, there still remains a dark cloud looming over the commonwealth," Thompson said.
Thompson said his first piece of legislation introduced in Congress was the "Keeping America's Freeways Free Act." This bill would remove the federal tolling pilots that Pennsylvania had previously submitted a request under.
"Tolling existing interstates that were constructed using federal funds is nothing more that a double tax on users who already pay for the road," Thompson said.
He said the current authorization, the Safe Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, expires Sept. 30.
"No matter where you live in the commonwealth and no matter how you vote (it) is going to have an impact on everything the state does," Thompson said. He said issues that will be impacted include the price of goods moving across the commonwealth and the municipal funding shortfalls that will be seen when increased usage begins to occur through diversion to local roads.
Guest speakers at Monday's session included Clearfield County Commissioner Joan McMillen, Kip Jones of Domtar Paper Co. in DuBois, Pat Kahle of Zacherl Motors in Clarion, Tony Mazzocchi of Commodore Homes and Dick Beech of the George Howe Co. in Grove City.
Beech, the chief executive officer of the George Howe Company, said the business is an 82-year-old family-owned snack food and coffee company that provides food products and service to retail customers from the Ohio Valley to the New Jersey shore.
"Our trucks run thousands of miles each week on I-80 plus we have numerous company cars and vans that also travel this highway," Beech said.
He said the actual direct tolling expense for the company will ultimately run six figures per year by the time all of the pre-set toll increases are implemented. Even today the amount spent on tolls would run in the tens of thousands of dollars, Beech added.
"It's suffice to say that Pennsylvania is like every other state and is constantly looking for new ways to raise revenue to fund on-going operations," he said, adding the word "tax" is not well received so alternative methods are employed that appear to be less obtrusive.
Beech said it's not wise to tax one part of the state to help another part of the state.
"The tax will not come from faceless citizens just passing through on I-80," he said. "It will come from Pennsylvania businesses, employees and consumers. And it will be very costly."
Mazzocchi, sales manager at Commodore, said the tolling plan would have a direct impact on the price of homes.
"Our goal is to provide affordable housing," he said.
Mazzocchi said 90 percent of the products that Commodore uses comes in on I-80. He said half of the homes produced by the four area manufacturing plants that are part of the company's network are also shipped across I-80.
Bill Strimbu of Strimbu Trucking Co. in Brookfield, Ohio, said most of the firm's heavy industry customer's are in western Pennsylvania. Last year, the Pennsylvania Turnpike cost the company $175,000 to run its fleet.
"We try to avoid the Pennsylvania Turnpike if possible," he said, adding that avoiding the turnpike puts equipment on secondary roads.
Gov. Ed Rendell's Transportation Funding and Reform Commission recommended an increase of $1.7 billion in annual funding for transportation infrastructure needs - $965 million for roads, highways and bridges and $760 million for mass transit.
Without the FWHA's approval of I-80 tolling, Act 44 will generate only $450 million annually. This would provide $200 million annually in additional funding for roads, highways and bridges.
Letters were also received opposing the tolling of I-80 from Tom Seidle of Ron Seidle Chevrolet/Buick/ GMC, Martin Anderson of J.M. Leasing Co., Brady Kadunce of Clarion-Venango-Forest Farm Bureau, David Panasiti of Woodland Food & Fuel Inc. and Dennis K. Johns of Vision Quality Components Inc.
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