Tell Your Senators that a New Fuel Tax Should Go Towards Transportation

On April 26th, Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) are scheduled to introduce a new bill aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A provision said to be contained in the bill would increase the current tax consumers pay when purchasing gasoline or diesel fuel. Traditionally, taxes consumers pay at the pump on fuel are put directly into the federal Highway Trust Fund and then dispensed back to the states for road and bridge maintenance, and new construction. This long-standing practice is rooted in the notion that highway and bridge users pay a tax on motor fuels as a "user fee" to maintain surface transportation infrastructure. This being the case, 100% of the funds derived from the motor fuels taxes go into the Highway Trust Fund and subsequently back into transportation construction. This new provision contained in the Kerry-Graham-Lieberman bill would direct billions of dollars generated from new taxes on motor fuels toward subsidizing hybrid car purchases, funding clean-energy research, and other non-transportation related items. Already the needs of our roads and transit systems far exceed current investment levels. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that more than $30 billion per year of new investment is needed simply to maintain our highways, bridges, and transit systems in their current state of repair; and $75 billion of new investment is needed annually to improve conditions and performance. NRMCA, NDRMCPA and ND-ACPA maintains that any funds generated from increasing the motor fuels taxes need follow tradition and go directly into the Highway Trust Fund. Call your Senators to make certain this bill does not go into effect. Our Highway Trust Fund depends on it.