RENDELL, PA LAWMAKERS DIVERGE IN SEARCH FOR ROAD, TRANSIT MONEY

Harrisburg, PA - Cool to Gov. Ed Rendell's own proposals, fellow Democrats in the Legislature are searching for alternatives to boost state spending on highways and mass transit before the new fiscal year begins in three weeks.

The options being floated include borrowing money, adding tollbooths to Interstate 80, raising tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and increasing taxes and fees that already support highways, such as driver registrations or fuel sales.

"I think there's some innovative ways we could do things that could help us through this period of time," said Sen. Robert J. Mellow, the Senate Democratic leader from Lackawanna County.

Many Democrats agree with Rendell on at least one point: More money for highways and mass transit is sorely needed and should be approved before legislators take their traditional two-month summer break.

That means passing something for the 2007-08 fiscal year that begins July 1, and some legislators say that is their highest priority behind hammering out an approximately $27 billion state budget by the end of the month.

Although Republicans generally agree the need is urgent, GOP leaders are not committing to a time frame. Coming up with the right plan may demand more time for studies and hearings than is left before they leave for the summer, they say.

Part of their plan may include demanding more efficiencies from transit agencies and more money from local areas that benefit from transit services.

"It would be nice to say that we'll get something done this month," said Sen. Gibson E. Armstrong, the Lancaster County Republican who chairs the Appropriations Committee. "But something this large and this complex, I don't know if we can do it that soon."

The issue has dogged Harrisburg for several years.

A commission appointed by Rendell in 2005 said an extra $1.7 billion would be needed each year to substantially upgrade Pennsylvania's crumbling highway system and financially strapped transit agencies.

Rendell proposed two solutions in February, but neither has received much support in the Legislature.

Some legislators protest that one idea , a tax on oil companies' gross profits , would hit local oil delivery businesses, not just giants like ExxonMobil Corp. Others warn that the industry would mount a protracted court battle over Rendell's desire to prevent the companies from passing on the cost of the tax to consumers.

In the Senate, where Republicans hold a solid 29-21 majority, GOP leaders flatly say it won't pass.

"I think everybody realizes that but the governor at this point," said the Senate's president pro tempore, Joe Scarnati of Jefferson County.

Rendell's other proposal, to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike and its northeastern extension to a private company for a multibillion dollar payment, is such a major step that many legislators are reluctant to plunge into it right away.

If Rendell feels snubbed, he isn't showing it , he just wants legislators to do something, and do it now.

"The governor is willing to consider any proposal that reaches his desk," spokesman Chuck Ardo said.

In any case, Scarnati said, the governor has told Republican senators that he will let the matter slide beyond July 1 if he is comfortable that legislators are working on it.

In the meantime, the state's two major transit agencies , the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and the Port Authority of Allegheny County , are warning of fare increases and service cuts because of huge deficits.

And Rendell has mounted a cross-state campaign to highlight Pennsylvania's 6,000 bridges that are in disrepair , the largest such backlog in the nation, he says.

Some Democrats say Rendell may have to be satisfied for now with a portion of the $1.7 billion, particularly with many legislators worried that voting for a tax increase will damage their prospects in next year's election.

"There are political realities that have to be faced," said Rep. Joseph Markosek, the Allegheny County Democrat who chairs the Transportation Committee. "We can only ask (House) members to vote on what the market will bear, so to speak."