State officials are on board with a proposal announced Thursday by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn and U.S. Rep. James Lankford that would allow states to opt out of federal highway and mass transit programs, providing flexibility to the states to decide how to spend gasoline tax revenue collected in their states, absent federal strings.

“Federal-Aid Highway and Mass Transit programs often come with burdensome, nonsensical restrictions or mandates that ultimately result in wasted money and manpower,” Gov. Mary Fallin said in a statement to 23^rd and Lincoln.

At issue is about $500 million-$600 million in Oklahoma deposits to the federal Highway Trust Fund, which includes money for state highways as well as funds allocated to cities and counties, according to information from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

Fallin especially favors the lack of federal requirements.

“Allowing states to opt out of these programs gives local officials the flexibility they need to develop transportation solutions that work best for their communities, rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all approach on them,” she said.

Oklahoma transportation Director Gary Ridley agreed.

“The Oklahoma Department of Transportation believes the provisions of the State Transportation Flexibility Act afford states with the opportunity to minimize the layered federal bureaucracy that can slow project delivery and more cost effectively further our commitment to the national transportation system,” Ridley said in a statement. “Even more importantly, states would possess the sole authority to responsibly execute and expedite the implementation of the transportation program.”

Fourteen U.S. senators and 24 U.S. representatives signed on to co-sponsor the measure.

“Washington’s addiction to spending has bankrupted the Highway Trust Fund,” Coburn said.

He said that for years lower-priority earmarked projects have crowded out important state priorities such as repairing crumbling roads and bridges.

“Instead of burdening states and micromanaging local transportation decisions from Washington, states like Oklahoma should be free to choose how their transportation dollars are spent,” Coburn said.

Lankford said such a proposal has been one of his top priories.

“By allowing states to opt out of the federal bureaucracy, they will be able to take more control of their own resources,” he said. “It will free Oklahoma to keep our own federal gas taxes and to fund new projects at our own discretion.”