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March 30, 2007 11:30 AM, EDT

The U.S. government may have to pay a penalty of more than $2 billn if it does not open its roads to Mexican trucks, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration John Hill told a House subcommittee Thursday, Bloomberg reported.The estimate is based on the 2000 penalty figure from a board charged with overseeing the North American Free Trade Agreement, though Hill said the penalty was not imminent, Bloomberg reported. Some members of Congress, including Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), are opposed to the Department of Transportation’s plan to give Mexican trucks access to U.S. roads beyond the current 25-mile border zone currently allowed.Last week a Senate committee passed a measure that would not allow Mexican trucks access unless U.S. trucks were allowed the same access to Mexico.(Click here for previous coverage.)