The U.S. Senate reached a tentative agreement for a multi-year highway funding bill. The plan includes a provision to impose user fees on electric vehicles.
Greater fuel efficiency, more hybrids and a growing number of electric vehicles mean the federal motor fuel tax does not go as far as it once did.
Missouri Republican Senator Roy Blunt says the new proposal addresses that yearly short fall and guarantees funding for the first half of the six year plan.
“Long term expectations for a federal transportation bill need about 17 or so billion a year beyond what the gas tax currently provides,” Blunt said. “Fifty-billion gets you about three years into that.”
Blunt says at the end of the first three years, lawmakers will have to find a way to recharge the highway trust fund.
Supporters say user fees for electric vehicles will ensure that all drivers pay their fair share to maintain Interstate highway and bridges.
Since 2009, lawmakers have passed 34 short-term bills to keep federal highway dollars going to the states. The inability to pass a multi-year bill has stalled major road projects that need more than a few months from planning to completion.