The Partnership to Save Highway Communities voiced its support of the current ban on the commercialization of rest areas along Interstates to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works this week.

As part of the upcoming extension of the current highway reauthorization law, the committee will be looking at allowing state governments to compete with private businesses along Interstates.

The group, which includes truckstop association NATSO and a number of food franchises and fuel organizations, wrote a letter to Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.), stating that the competition would risk thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenues.

"In these difficult economic times, such a policy change could further damage the economies of small cities and towns across the country that rely on Interstate traffic to sustain their local communities," the partnership wrote. "Allowing state-run rest areas to compete ... on an unfair playing field will remove a valuable component to the economic development of the counties and towns."

States such as Virginia, New Hampshire and Vermont have closed rest stops recently, and some state officials believe commercializing rest areas would provide revenues needed to save these facilities. "The Partnership to Save Highway Communities believes this is a short-sighted approach that ultimately will destroy thousands of businesses located off the Interstate exit ramps," the partnership said.

While more than 60,000 businesses operate along the nation's Interstates as a result of the current ban, commercializing state facilities would cut business to the private entities in half, studies showed. The partnership says these businesses provide a large percentage of sales tax and property tax revenues that go to public schools and local police and fire departments in rural areas.

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