No easy answer to nation's highway needs

by: Sen. Jim Inhofe
Sunday, April 05, 2009
4/5/2009 3:24:56 AM

Link to Op-Ed

One of the most pressing issues confronting Oklahoma and our nation today is the deplorable state of our transportation system. This year, however, Congress has the opportunity to address this challenge when it rewrites the multiyear highway bill. Through my leadership position on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, I will once again be a primary author of the bill and push it through Congress - as I did in 2005.

Addressing our transportation needs is especially important as we face a national economic crisis. The link between a robust economy, job creation and a strong transportation infrastructure is undeniable; yet when it comes to other spending priorities, transportation is often neglected. We cannot continue to rely on investments made over 50 years ago when President Dwight D. Eisenhower first conceived the interstate system - a system that is now the backbone of our economy.

I believe the challenges in continuing to provide a safe and free-flowing transportation network have never been greater. One of the biggest challenges is addressing the decline of revenues coming into the Highway Trust Fund, the main source of funds that pay for construction and maintenance on our expansive network of highways and bridges.

Today, the highway trust fund is primarily supported by taxing fuel by the gallon (18.4 cents for gasoline and a 24.4 cents for diesel). Unfortunately, due to the sluggish economy, high gas prices and an increase in fuel efficiency, we are experiencing substantial declines in tax receipts into the trust fund. This method of using federal fuel taxes to fund our nation's highways and bridges is no longer adequate to support the growing infrastructure needs in the country. In fact, simply maintaining current levels of highway spending would result in a Highway Trust Fund deficit of about $70 billion by the end of the next highway bill.

In the short term, we are exploring numerous alternative financing mechanisms to increase revenues into the highway trust fund, because no single option will provide a complete solution. We must be willing to explore new options, including expanded use of public-private partnerships; and requiring all users, not just motorists, to contribute to the Highway Trust Fund.

In the long term, to ensure that all those who use the system pay their fair share, transportation experts are discussing a user-funded fee for actual miles driven, known as a Vehicles Miles Tax. It is important to note that this system would not raise taxes, but replace the gas tax with a new more accurate collection mechanism.

I don't believe it is fair that under the current system of taxing fuel by the gallon Oklahomans who drive trucks and older vehicles end up paying more for roads and highways than those who can afford hybrids and new fuel-efficient vehicles. Hybrids are already subsidized by the federal government at the point of sale. The gas tax is intended to pay for use of the roads, and an SUV and a hybrid use the same amount of road. We need to make sure everyone pays their fair share.

Addressing our transportation needs is a must, and I am confident that we will get the job done. Over the next few months as we explore the various approaches to finding solutions, I will keep my constituents in mind and ensure we do right by Oklahoma.