U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stressed that restoring the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund must occur in a way that is “sustainable, predictable, defensible, and affordable” with "some sort of road usage levy necessary" according to a report in AASHTO Journal. The current Fixing America’s Surface Transportation, or "FAST" Act funding measure expires on September 30.
Buttigieg said while the federal tax on motor fuels has not been increased since 1993, and the HTF has not been solvent since 2008, the gas tax is not a “long term solution” for regaining HTF solvency. However, when it comes to switching to a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee, “the trouble is no one has yet put together a solution to resolve privacy concerns,” he said. “But the future of the HTF revenue side is not looking like what we have today.”
Buttigieg also touched on a range of other topics while speaking at the virtual 2021 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials:
- Making sure everything at USDOT leads to less pollution, and to infrastructure that is more resilient in the face of climate change.
- Addressing equity and climate change will require “the whole of the government” and true coordination between USDOT’s modal agencies.
- When it comes to transportation priorities, safety comes first, followed by job creation and support for equity and climate change policies.
Source: AASHIO Journal
