HARRISBURG -- The clash between Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell and Senate Republican leaders over whether to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike to a private operator was bumped up a notch yesterday.

After Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi said the proposed $12.8 billion turnpike lease to Abertis/Citi won't be debated this fall, Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo replied that Republicans must want an increase in the state gasoline tax.

"That seems to be the direction the Senate leadership is going in," Mr. Ardo said. "Where else will they find $500 million to meet our transportation needs? Their refusal to even debate the turnpike lease is fiscally irresponsible."

Mr. Rendell had urged the Legislature to act on the lease this fall, saying Abertis/Citi is likely to rescind its $12.8 billion lease offer in a month or two if the Legislature stalls. Mr. Pileggi called that an "artificial deadline."

With the federal government having rejected the state's request to put tolls on Interstate 80, Mr. Rendell said there is now a $500 million hole in state transportation funding plans. The only revenue generator that actually will happen is a 25 percent increase in turnpike tolls set to take effect in January, but that's not enough to meet the state's needs, Mr. Rendell said.

The only other revenue option besides the turnpike lease, he said, is to boost the state's gasoline tax, now at 32 cents a gallon, to about 40.5 cents a gallon. He didn't think that was a good idea, given the high price of gasoline already.

Opposition from legislators to the proposed lease isn't a surprise. Rep. Joe Markosek, D-Monroeville, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, has already said the lease was not going to be approved.

Republican Senate spokesman Erik Arneson said the Legislature still has time to devise "modern and innovative transportation funding plans which do not involve a tax hike."