Central PA News

State Representative Perry Stambaugh of the 86th Legislative District has raised concerns about a recent proposal from the Governor’s Transportation Revenue Options Commission (TROC). The commission suggested replacing Pennsylvania's 58 cents per gallon gasoline tax with an 8.1 cents per mile driven fee to address a $9.35 billion shortfall in highway, bridge, and mass transit funding.

According to Stambaugh, this change would disproportionately affect rural drivers. He noted that rural motorists currently pay an average of $1.28 per weekday in state gas tax but would face costs of $4.47 under the proposed mileage-based user fee (MBUF), resulting in an additional $829.40 annually.

Stambaugh highlighted disparities among different regions: suburban drivers would pay an extra $743.60 yearly, while urban drivers would see a $387.40 increase.

"Approximately 75 percent of Perry County workers, for example, commute outside the county to places of employment daily," Stambaugh stated, arguing that these changes would unfairly burden rural commuters without improving road conditions.

He also expressed concerns about data collection methods for MBUF and potential misuse by PennDOT.

The TROC report included other revenue-generating suggestions such as highway tolls, package delivery fees, and increased vehicle registration fees.

Stambaugh criticized these recommendations as "ill-timed and shortsighted," given federal infrastructure discussions and Pennsylvania's slow economic recovery. He called for a study on PennDOT's project management compared to other states.

In contrast, the Eastern Transportation Coalition proposed a revenue-neutral MBUF rate of 2.807 cents per mile for Pennsylvania, which could potentially lower costs for rural drivers.

"The Eastern Transportation Coalition and our partner states have been studying MBUF through data-driven research and pilots over the last three years," said Trish Hendren, Executive Director of the coalition.

Hendren pointed out flaws in TROC's suggested rate calculation: "Eight cents per mile is close to a rate calculated by a research institute that had several flaws."

Stambaugh continues to question PennDOT's budget management and contract practices despite acknowledging some funding challenges faced by the department.