PBS Explores Charging-by-the-Mile

The auto fleet is becoming greener - not just with hybrids and electric vehicles, but all new vehicles are required to be more fuel efficient. While that is good for the environment, declining gas tax revenues threaten the nation's infrastructure.

2 minute read

December 11, 2013, 6:00 AM PST

By Irvin Dawid


PBS correspondent Rick Karr goes to Portland to explore the collision course of increasing fuel efficiency and maintaining the nation's roads, bridges and transit systems. The video shows the evolution of technologies used by the Oregon Department of Transportation in its pilot projects to charge a vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) fee, beginning with the use of a GPS, or global positioning system, in 2006.

The technology worked pretty well. But civil libertarians and privacy advocates said the GPS was a way for Big Brother to snoop on drivers. So the legislators in Oregon’s state house decided the whole idea was political poison, and for five years, it faded from view.

ODOT began it's second pilot late last year. "This time, participants had a range of choices. They could let their smartphones track their movements ... install GPS units that sent data to a private firm instead of the government ... or use a device that recorded only how many miles they drove, but not where they drove."

For an opposing viewpoint, Karr interviews Kari Chisholm, a Democratic political consultant and blogger based in Portland.

Gas tax is a great incentive to get folks into fuel efficient cars, to put less carbon in the atmosphere.  By going into a tax that hits-- plug-ins and electrics and high-- high-mileage cars, we’re reducing that incentive

Karr asks him what we should do about declining gas tax revenues.

The first thing I would do, if I were king of the world-- is raise the gas tax and then index it to inflation over time, answers Chisholm.

While Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) may not be king of the world, he did just what Chisholm recommended, introducing a bill on Dec. 3 to raise the gas tax 12-cents over three years and index it to inflation (and described here). He also proposed a bill (described here) to enable the federal government to study charging drivers by the miles they drive, specifically to "establish a competitive grant program to be known as the Road Usage Fee Pilot Program," as defined in H.R. 3638

Wednesday, December 4, 2013 in PBS NewsHour

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight