Leonard Gilroy reports that, “Like in most states, Oregon transportation officials are grappling with a long-term decline in the purchasing power of the gas tax and the erosion of its utility as a mechanism to generate highway funding, given the rise in more fuel-efficient vehicles, as well as electric and other vehicles that minimize or eliminate gasoline use altogether. Having been the first state to adopt a gas tax to fund transportation infrastructure nearly a century ago, Oregon has in recent years taken the lead among states with regard to advancing the concept that may ultimately replace the beleaguered gas tax—mileage-based road user charges.”
In “Pioneering Road User Charges in Oregon,” Gilroy, Director of Government Reform at the Reason Foundation, interviews James Whitty, Manager, Office of Innovative Partnerships and Alternative Funding, Oregon Department of Transportation. They discuss the numerous policy, political and practical challenges Oregon has faced the lessons learned. Georgia, like other states, is also facing the impact of a declining gas tax. Georgia’s transportation policymakers will benefit from learning more about Oregon’s experience.
Leonard Gilroy reports that, “Like in most states, Oregon transportation officials are grappling with a long-term decline in the purchasing power of the gas tax and the erosion of its utility as a mechanism to generate highway funding, given the rise in more fuel-efficient vehicles, as well as electric and other vehicles that minimize or eliminate gasoline use altogether. Having been the first state to adopt a gas tax to fund transportation infrastructure nearly a century ago, Oregon has in recent years taken the lead among states with regard to advancing the concept that may ultimately replace the beleaguered gas tax—mileage-based road user charges.”
In “Pioneering Road User Charges in Oregon,” Gilroy, Director of Government Reform at the Reason Foundation, interviews James Whitty, Manager, Office of Innovative Partnerships and Alternative Funding, Oregon Department of Transportation. They discuss the numerous policy, political and practical challenges Oregon has faced the lessons learned. Georgia, like other states, is also facing the impact of a declining gas tax. Georgia’s transportation policymakers will benefit from learning more about Oregon’s experience.
