Florida Congressman John Mica, former chairman
of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, told a meeting of
state and local officials gathered in Orlando that they are going to have to
find sources of money outside Washington, D. C. to pay for transit and highway construction
in their future plans. While touting the $8.4 billion in federal taxpayer
dollars funneled to Florida in the recent past to fund major highway, airport
and rail transportation projects, Mica told the “Florida Forward”
transportation conference that the federal motor fuel tax of 18.4 cents per
gallon, last increased in 1993, no longer brings in enough money for road and
transit construction.
“There
is pressure when you’re borrowing 43 cents on every dollar you are spending,”
Mica said. “Long term, we’re going to have to do something, since the gas tax
is broken.” What he really means is that Congress is politically unable to
raise the motor fuel tax rate so long as gasoline and diesel prices remain at
current levels. Alternative proposals to force auto and truck owners to
automatically report and pay an additional tax on vehicle miles driven have
been dead on arrival in Washington.
A
quick look around the Chicago suburban areas where huge paving contractors are
busily at work reveals that Mica may be telling the truth. Most of the billions
in road construction work in Illinois which is planned for future years will be
done on toll roads paid for by the cars and trucks driving on them, rather than
supported by cash from the Federal Highway Trust Fund. What this will mean for
the tradespeople and laborers whose livelihood has depended on full employment
during the Illinois road building season remains to be seen, but there is no
easy solution in view.
