Highway Trust Fund
NYT Editorial Blasts House Transportation Bill
Calling it "uniquely terrible", the Times questions whether it will even survive a full floor vote in the House. The editorial lists three major problems with the bill, but notes there are many more.
The New York Times - The Opinion Pages
Bankruptcy Ahead, Warns CBO On Highway Trust Fund
Treasury Secretary Ray LaHood warned Congress that according to a recent Congressional Budget Office report, the Highway Trust Fund will be broke come fiscal year 2014, due largely to more fuel-efficient vehicles and less driving.
The Hill's Transportation Blog
A Proposal To End The Highway Trust Fund
Gabriel Roth, a civil engineer, transportation economist and research fellow is fed up with the federal government's inability to fully fund transportation and suggests that its time to hand off responsibility to the states.
Winona Daily News
Untruths About a Gas Tax
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.
CNN Opinion
Drilling For Highway Trust Fund Dollars
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.
The Washington Post: Ezra Klein's Wonkblog
The Highway Trust Fund Challenge: Policy Reform And Increasing Revenue
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.
Politico
South Carolina's DOT Funding Predicament
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 (Charleston) Post and Courier
The End of the Great American Highway
The American highway is in shambles, and there is not enough money to fix it, reports Zach Rosenberg of Car and Driver Magazine.
Car and Driver
Where Will The Transportation Money Come From, Mr. President?
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.
InfrastructureUSA
How Does A Gas Tax Reduce The Deficit?
The deficit commission has proposed a 15-cent gas tax, which would fund the Highway Trust Fund for needed infrastructure projects as opposed to deficit reduction. Brooking's Robert Puentes explains why it was included.
The New Republic
Highway Trust Fund Bailed Out With $19.5 Billion 'Reimbursement'
One of the most significant pieces of legislation for transportation was last month's job bill that contained essential transportation provisions, including extension of the transportation act, $19.5 Billion to HTF, $4.6 billion to Buy America Bonds.
AASHTO Journal
Transportation Reauthorization Depends On Funding Sources
The Economist looks at the looming battle between Congress and the Administration over whether to proceed now on transportation reauthorization or delay it 18 months, and concludes that the bottom line will be the funding mechanism.
The Economist
Transportation Reauthorization Battles Ahead - Funding & Revenue Split
The transportation reauthorization bill will be hotly debated this fall on at least two fronts - finding a sustainable funding source and apportioning the revenues. The 18.4 cent gas tax, its funding source, declined 33% due to inflation since 1993.
The New York Times - U.S.
Highway Trust Fund - Near Broke, Again
Back in September, we reported that the trust fund had to receive an $8 billion bailout. Reuters reports that a second bailout is required to prevent the fund from going broke by August. Sen. Boxer indicates she supports indexing the gas tax.
Reuters
The Future of National Surface Transportation Policy
That was the title the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation chose for a hearing on April 28. Panelists: Ray LaHood, DOT Secretary; Steve Heminger, MTC; Jame Corless, T4America; Ann Canby, STPP, and Ned Holmes, TX Transp. Comm.
Streetsblog
Should Fuel Taxes Pay For Alternative Transportation?
Planetizen has teamed up with National Journal, a weekly politics and policy magazine, to explore transportation issues. As part of National Journal's Transportation Experts blog, we've asked Planetizen Interchange bloggers and National Journal's Transportation Experts whether money from the Highway Trust Fund should be used for non-highway projects like bike lanes and pedestrian walkways.
Woes Awaiting New Transportation Secretary
Of primary importance will be dealing with the National Highway Trust Fund, long the source of federal transportation funding, but not having seen an increase in the gas tax for 15 years, it is essentially broke - spending more than it brings in.
The Washington Post
Fixing The Highway Trust Fund
Last week, transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced that the Highway Trust Fund will be empty by Oct. 1st. This editorial considers two possible options to fund transportation.
The Washington Post
Huge Taxpayer Bailout Of Highway Fund
Taxpayers, not transit users, will bail out motorists to keep the highway trust fund solvent. The administration had initially proposed to use transit funds and veto using general funds, but with the fund scheduled to go bust in Oct., they relented.
Los Angeles Times via San Francisco Chronicle
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