federal gas tax

How the US Chamber plans to shape supply chain policy in Washington

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Building in Washington, D.C.

As the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s expert on supply chain and customs-related issues, John Drake recently added two related policy areas — transportation and infrastructure — to his portfolio that are also major priorities for his members.

In his new role as the vice president of transportation, infrastructure and supply chain policy, Drake is tasked with leading the Chamber’s advocacy on all those issues on Capitol Hill and within the administration.

Given his promotion earlier this month, we...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-the-us-chamber-plans-to-shape-supply-chain-policy-in-washington

Watchdog pushing feds to move on truck user fee pilots

Shoring up the struggling Highway Trust Fund (HTF) using a mileage-based user fee regime for cars and trucks may take longer than anticipated based on a new federal oversight report.

That’s because the Federal Highway Administration has so far not determined how to scale up various state and regional pilot projects around the country, according to the report, issued this week by the Government Accountability Office.

The GAO stated that since 2016, federally funded mileage-fee pilot projects were...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/watchdog-pushing-feds-to-move-on-truck-user-fee-pilots

Report: Electric vehicle tax could revive Highway Trust Fund

The shortfall in Highway Trust Fund revenues caused by electric cars and trucks can be eliminated through an electricity tax that has the potential to achieve the same collection efficiency as the federal fuel tax, according to a new study.

“Electric Vehicles and Infrastructure Funding,” an analysis released Wednesday by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), estimates that a tax of 2.1 cents per kilowatt-hour on a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) is equivalent to what is paid by...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/report-electric-vehicle-tax-could-revive-highway-trust-fund

Trumka predicted passage of infrastructure bill in coming months

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, whose death was announced Thursday by the labor organization he led since 2009, warned that the economy was “at a crossroads” and stood a chance of slipping if lawmakers did not give more than lip service to passing an infrastructure bill this year.

In addition to creating jobs and lowering unemployment, “investing in roads and bridges and transit and climate mitigation and all of those things will make America stronger and more competitive,” Trumka, who was 72,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trumka-predicted-passage-of-infrastructure-bill-in-coming-months

Can taxing trucks on miles traveled work?

A user fee to raise money for roads and bridges that is based on the number of miles a truck travels is popular among policymakers but does not sit well with industry lobbyists.

Working the details

Unlike taxes on gasoline or diesel, a fee based on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) “gets much closer to capturing the externalities and to approximating the road maintenance cost of each driver,” according to the Tax Foundation, an independent tax organization that has opposed increasing traditional...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/can-taxing-trucks-on-miles-travelled-work

How does the Highway Trust Fund work?

As Congress attempts to negotiate a multiyear surface transportation reauthorization bill to replace the FAST Act — which expires on Sept. 30 — finding the money to pay for it will be the most contentious issue. Central to the pay-for question is the Highway Trust Fund (HTF).

Congress established the fund in 1956 as a way for the federal government to fund the construction of the Interstate Highway System. After much of the work on the system was completed, spending out of the HTF shifted to...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/how-does-the-highway-trust-fund-work

Lawmaker: Use Postal Service to test vehicle-miles-traveled fee

One of the strongest voices in Congress calling for replacing the gas tax with a vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) user fee is proposing the U.S. Postal Service as the place to test the idea.

“The final step necessary to begin a full conversion to a VMT system is to test it in an interoperable, national setting,” Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri and ranking member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, said in a statement Friday.

“The USPS operates a large, nationwide fleet of vehicles...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/lawmaker:-use-postal-service-to-test-vehicle-miles-traveled-fee

Pete Buttigieg confirmed as DOT secretary

The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly (86-13) on Tuesday to confirm Pete Buttigieg as U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) secretary, a development industry watchers hope turns out to be the first step in getting an infrastructure package passed this year.

There will be pressure on Buttigieg to begin making progress on a handful of emerging transportation policy issues.

“He will have to think about issues of ensuring safety with new autonomous vehicle technologies,” Sen. Maria Cantwell,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/news-alert-pete-buttigieg-confirmed-as-dot-secretary

Buttigieg: Raising gas tax ‘on the table’ to pay for infrastructure

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary nominee Pete Buttigieg acknowledged on Thursday that raising the federal gas tax will be one of the options to fund “major investments” needed for highway infrastructure.

“I think all options need to be on the table,” Buttigieg said during his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate’s Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

“The current state of the highway trust fund [HTF] is that there’s more going out than coming in, and up until now...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/buttigieg-raising-gas-tax-on-the-table-to-pay-for-infrastructure

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