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Governor Corbett Awaits Transportation Secretary's Budget Proposal

HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) - Pennsylvania's transportation secretary is raising the possibility that Governor Corbett may not make his much-anticipated proposal on transportation funding that was expected this fall. Governor Corbett Awaits Transportation Secretary's Budget Proposal

Governor Corbett has said transportation funding is a priority, and in August a panel he created recommended lifting a cap on wholesale gas prices and raising vehicle fees. Corbett's Transportation Secretary Barry Schoch says he still expects the governor will reveal which ideas he favors this fall, but Schoch also says the rapidly changing economic situation could delay that announcement.

"Again, you can look at what's happened since when we released our report until today," Schoch says. "It's been pretty dramatic. I mean, I think the stock market's down a couple thousand points, things are tilted towards possible double-dip recession. These things weigh on you if you have to make these decisions. They weigh on me, I'm as concerned about the possible economic effect of these fee increases on the commonwealth as anyone else is."

And Schoch says the governor is considering funding transportation through means other than what was recommended in the commission report, and Schoch says it might involve money from natural gas drilling.

Reported by Tony Romeo, KYW Newsradio

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