Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Gas Tax

Lawmakers Score Conservative Bona Fides By Attacking Efficient Transport

By Angie Schmitt | Nov 18, 2013 | 25 Comments

Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Congressman Tom Graves (R-Georgia) have introduced a bill to eliminate federal involvement in transportation policy, which would spell disaster for funding that supports transit, biking, and walking. A largely symbolic vote in favor of “devolution” will allow Republican members of Congress to demonstrate their conservative bona fides. The Transportation Empowerment Act (TEA) […]

The Dangerous Myth That States Give More Than They Get For Transpo

By Tanya Snyder | Oct 22, 2013 | 4 Comments

There is a pernicious myth among some states that they give more to Washington in the form of gas taxes than they get back in the form of federal transportation funding. A recent rash of federal bailouts — $35 billion between September 2008 and March 2010 — ensured a windfall for every state in the […]

Ten Questions (and Answers) About Oregon’s New VMT Charge

By Tanya Snyder | Sep 24, 2013 | 13 Comments

This summer, Oregon’s legislature passed a bill creating a vehicle-miles-traveled fee. For those who recognize the shortcomings of the gas tax for charging for road use, it was a big victory. But the program authorized by the state is a modest one, creating a voluntary program for just 5,000 drivers of high-efficiency vehicles. ODOT’s Jim […]

Vitter: Sure, Raise the Gas Tax — Just as Long as You Don’t Raise More Money

By Tanya Snyder | Sep 12, 2013 | 5 Comments

Well here’s a sobering thought: Transit advocates, cyclists and the road lobby have the same talking points these days. All anyone is talking about is how to rescue the Highway Trust Fund from its own fiscal cliff. I attended yesterday’s “Asphalt Fly-In,” the National Asphalt Pavement Association’s first-ever Washington legislative conference. If I went in […]

Even If the Trust Fund Were Flush, We Should Still Switch to a VMT Fee

By Noel Popwell | Aug 12, 2013 | 23 Comments

By now the problems with the gas tax are well reported. Revenues from the tax have been declining for years because of improved fuel economy and alternative-fuel vehicles. The result is a growing gap between the money needed to maintain and improve our transportation system and the money available in the Highway Trust Fund. The […]

“The Twilight of the Appropriations Process”: House GOP Gets Its Knives Out

By Tanya Snyder | Jun 19, 2013 | No Comments

Constrained by Paul Ryan’s budget and the sequester, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and HUD passed a $44 billion spending bill for 2014 – 15 percent lower than 2013 enacted levels. The bill contains $15.3 billion in discretionary appropriations for the Department of Transportation, also 15 percent below enacted 2013 levels and amounting to […]

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