Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Gas Tax

Former US DOT Bosses Call for Mileage Tax and Congestion Fees

By Tanya Snyder | Oct 5, 2010 | 5 Comments

Bottlenecks cripple our productivity, and transitioning among modes of transportation remains a convoluted and inefficient process nationwide, with some major cities being the few exceptions. Concerns about the environmental impact of these inefficiencies further highlight the need for systems that offer quick, interconnected and efficient means for transportation. The message today from two Republican-appointed former […]

New Report Examines the Media’s Role in the Gas Tax Debate

By Elana Schor | May 26, 2010 | 6 Comments

(Chart: University of Vermont Transportation Research Center) The success of state-level plans to increase gas taxes is tied to the media’s portrayal of the proposals in question, with narratives tied to "crumbling infrastructure" and "economic progress" showing more success than those emphasizing long-term transportation budget gaps, according to a new report released by the University […]

Tracing the Fault Lines Between Public and Private Transit Operators

By Elana Schor | May 25, 2010 | 7 Comments

Should private transit companies enjoy the same federal gas tax exemption that many public operators receive? How does the existence of private inter-city bus service affect the government’s development of new high-speed rail lines? And does it matter that private transit firms are eligible for public subsidies, even if at a much smaller rate than […]

Kerry on Senate Climate Bill: Federal Gas Tax is Staying at 18.4 Cents

By Elana Schor | Apr 21, 2010 | 8 Comments

The several dozen transportation industry groups that raised questions about where the upcoming Senate climate change bill would send proceeds from its new "linked fee" on carbon fuels can stop worrying — because it looks like the legislation won’t contain any new tax on motor fuels. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) (Photo: Getty) As Sen. John […]

Former U.S. DOT Chief on the Worst-Case Scenario: 4 Years of Extensions

By Elana Schor | Apr 19, 2010 | 3 Comments

To a certain extent, hope springs eternal in federal transportation circles. Even as state DOTs and metropolitan planning organizations operate under the latest in a series of extensions of the 2005 law that governs road, transit, and bike-ped spending, few are willing to envision a future in which new legislation doesn’t pass by next year. […]

‘Gas Tax’ Sounding Like a Four-Letter Word to the White House and Senate

By Elana Schor | Apr 16, 2010 | 3 Comments

Transportation groups of all shapes and sizes have been concerned that the Senate’s forthcoming climate bill could set back the prospects for a federal transportation measure by imposing extra carbon fees on Big Oil — which would then be passed on to customers at the pump, effectively increasing the gas tax for purposes other than […]

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