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HARRISBURG- Governor Ed Rendell’s office announced today that it was submitting legislation to the Pennsylvania General Assembly that would empower the Governor to privatize the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Governor Rendell’s spokesmen stated that the legislation would enable the Governor to enter into a deal without giving the General Assembly an opportunity to review the final details. A bill number had not yet been assigned by the time of the announcement.

“This is very troubling,” said Jim Swoyer, a public interest advocate with the Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group (PennPIRG). “The Turnpike’s operation has profound effects on statewide transportation policy. This legislation does not create an approval process that has sufficient public accountability. In these types of agreements, the devil is always in the details.”

In March, PennPIRG released a paper outlining the potential problems of privatizing the Pennsylvania Turnpike. PennPIRG stressed that any potential deal must guarantee public participation, transparency, and high standards for safety and maintenance.

“It is essential that the General Assembly play a significant role in approving any deal,” said Swoyer, “Privatization could have serious effects on the public well into the next century.” Governor Rendell’s office had announced that it was considering privatization agreements that could last as long as 99 years.

Compounding the risk to the general public is the fact that the legislation would give the Governor great latitude in negotiating the parameters of the final agreement. “We urge the General Assembly to build public protections into any authorization-to-negotiate legislation,” concluded Swoyer, “It is the only way to ensure that we will not be stuck with a bad deal.” PennPIRG stressed that any potential deal must guarantee continued public participation in the operation of the Turnpike, transparency in both the approval process and any subsequent operating decisions made by a private entity, and high standards for safety and maintenance.

PennPIRG’s paper on the potential problems of Turnpike privatization can be found here.