Wyoming lawmakers killed a measure last week that would fund a special highway project from a 3-cent fuel tax increase.

The bill recently drew the ire of Gov. Dave Freudenthal when he told the Wyoming Press Association gathered in Cheyenne, “There won’t be a 3-cent fuel tax on my watch – at least not this year,” the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reported. The governor said generating revenue for court-mandated capital construction costs are the more pressing issue for the state.

The House voted 31-29 to ax HB18, which would boost the tax 21 percent and raise about $20 million a year for a multilane highway fund.

Under the measure, Wyoming’s fuel tax would rise to 17 cents a gallon, remaining among the lowest in the nation.