Federal legislation authored by two local congressmen has placed a roadblock on the state’s plan to toll Interstate 80, and sparked a war of words between lawmakers in Washington and Harrisburg.

The U.S. House has passed an amendment by U.S. Reps. John Peterson and Phil English of Pennsylvania that prohibits federal funds from being used toward installing tolls and related construction along Pennsylvania’s portion of the interstate.

In response, Gov. Ed Rendell and Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway, are fighting back, saying the tolls are a compromise and a way to help fix the state’s ailing transportation system.

Peterson’s district — which includes McKean, Potter, Elk and Cameron counties — has more of the interstate going through it than any other congressional district in the state.

“The governor and state legislature’s proposal, taking I-80 from PennDOT and giving it to the bloated Turnpike Commission to peppering tolls across rural Pennsylvania, was a terrible decision and would cause irreversible economic damage,” Peterson said. The lawmaker is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

The federal legislation was part of the larger transportation funding bill.

“While the governor should be working to reduce Pennsylvania’s corporate and gasoline taxes to attract new business and create jobs, he would rather tax rural folks through tolls to subsidize Philadelphia’s failed SEPTA program,” Peterson said.

English echoed Peterson’s statements, adding “tolling I-80 rolls up the welcome mat and tells visitors and customers of local businesses to go elsewhere.”

“We are not going to stand by while Harrisburg raids western Pennsylvania travelers and picks truckers’ pockets to prop up Philadelphia’s mass transit system,” English said.

The plan to place tolls along the interstate was arrived at during contentious budget negotiations in Harrisburg between members of the Legislature and Rendell. The governor had originally wanted to lease the turnpike, but later dropped the idea to reach a compromise with Republicans.

The Peterson-English legislation was met with disdain by Rendell, who said Wednesday it could undermine the state’s $1 billion a year transportation plan. Rendell said he would now seek bids on leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike to provide the necessary funding.

During a news conference, Rendell said Democratic congressmen have assured him the legislation would be removed in a House-Senate conference committee, likely this fall.

“We can’t wait, we have to have a fallback position,” Rendell said.

Scarnati said Wednesday that a lot of misinformation has been delivered on behalf of the congressmen.

“None of the dollars will be taken and used for mass transit,” Scarnati said. “I think some of the comments were disingenuous in saying that. This is the least of the evils in funding transportation.”

Scarnati said the notion of placing tolls along the interstate is more acceptable than the governor’s original proposal of having a gas tax.

“If our congressmen are opposed to tolling Interstate 80, they have got to give us federal dollars to keep our roads and bridges well,” Scarnati said, adding the state currently doesn’t meet the national average when it comes to federal highway dollars, coming in behind Hawaii. “I am not going to vote for a gas tax. Maybe that was acceptable years ago when he (Peterson) was in he state Senate, but not now.”

Peterson also expressed apprehension over placing the operation, management, maintenance and upgrades to the interstate in the hands of the Turnpike Commission.

“Small community transit systems will be bought off with scraps in comparison to what mass transit in other parts of the state will receive,” Peterson said. “Tolling I-80 will force traffic off I-80 and onto our local highways, thereby causing increased maintenance costs, congestion and traffic accidents.”

Scarnati said the funding going for mass transit in Philadelphia “is a farce.”

“It’s their (federal) law,” Scarnati said. “Federal money has to stay on 80. I think he’s trying to use smoke and mirrors here to make a point. With most of the traffic out of town truck traffic on the interstate, it makes for more sense for people that use it to pay for it.”

State Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, voted against the much-debated transportation package which calls for the tolls on I-80.

“The bill makes the Turnpike Commission the ultimate transportation body in Pennsylvania, and I think that’s problem in itself,” Causer said, adding he hasn’t had a chance to view the Peterson-English amendment. “I feel it (transportation legislation) was rushed through the Legislature when it shouldn’t have been.”

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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