Gas Tax

For those who missed it, Friday brought the end to the influential infrastructure focused blog -- The Infrastructurist

In her ongoing coverage of Missouri's I-70 expansion and state transportation deficits, Streetsblog's Angie Schmitt analyzes MO's consideration to double the state 17-cent state gas tax to finance the truck only lanes from Kansas City to St. Louis

The Carnegie Endowment's Shin-pei Tsay and Deborah Gordon expose five common myths and reveal three important facts on the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and present their solution to maintaining and improving America’s transportation infrastructure.

Ryan Holeywell reports that Congress and the Obama Administration are set against gas taxes, even as voters across the country are approving them to fund transportation and transit projects.

To maintain current transportation spending levels in the new reauthorization bill, Speaker Boehner is proposing a bill to fill the shortfall from projected federal gas tax revenues with the royalties expected from new oil and gas drilling.

Politico recaps the findings of the two federal commissions authorized by the last transportation bill. While their findings are not hopeful, they do present a better outlook for a change 'down the road' - perhaps in a future authorization bill.

Former OH Sen. George Voinovich and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are spearheading the push, but they are by no means alone. The groups came together in 2009 - another one may be in the works with the current transportation extension ending March 31.

The Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota has prepared a comprehensive report on the shortcomings of the fuel tax and how to transition to what they call a mileage-based user fee, a form of a vehicle-miles-traveled fee.

Now that Gov. Perry has declared his candidacy for President, the Houston Chronicle has begun a series of articles to spotlight how infrastructure has fared under the state's longest serving governor. Transportation is the focus of the first report.

The S.C. Dept. of Transportation is so broke that it won't be able to pay its contractors after meeting its payroll. It is depending on a payment from the FHWA and requesting additional reimbursements while rejecting federal funds for education.

The WSJ report indicates that the debate that led to the FAA ticket tax suspension was just a prelude as to what to expect on Sept. 30 when the federal gas tax expires.

Matthew Yglesias writes on the upcoming expiration of the federal gas tax as the next political hurdle facing a divided Congress that has enormous infrastructure and budget deficit implications. The Republican 'no new taxes' pledge may apply.

A group of mayor in the metropolitan Vancouver area have proposed an increase in the gas tax to develop a fund for a long-stalled transit project.

Politicians say it all the time - "Americans will never stand for a gas tax increase", but how do they know? A survey of 1,500 adults under the direction of Mineta Transportation Institute found otherwise. A VMT fee and sales tax was also surveyed.

Politicians say it all the time - "Americans will never stand for a gas tax increase", but how do they know? A survey of 1,500 adults under the direction of Mineta Transportation Institute found otherwise. A VMT fee and sales tax was also surveyed.

The highest gas prices since the summer of 2008 have the two political parties taking separate approaches toward the oil industry - each showing how effective they are at killing each other's plans.

WA state is considering the nation's first fee on electric cars to cover road wear since they pay no gas tax, the primary funding mechanism for funding road maintenance and construction. However, critics point out that the fee is flat, not variable.

The gas tax should be viewed as that, a tax, and anything else is fundamentally wrong, writes Alex Marshall.

Transportation consultant and analyst Ken Orski looks into the transportation provisions of President Obama's proposed 2012 budget and beyond and notices some major shortfalls - and poses questions to the administration as to how they will be funded.

A new report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group PIRG's report estimates that road construction has cost the American public $600 billion since the highway system began.