Editorial: Highway funding needs local, state support
Picture a sight-challenged Mr. Magoo driving the highways of cartoon land, and you get an accurate picture of the way politicians in Washington, D.C., and Olympia steer transportation funding.
The federal Highway Trust Fund, which pays for roads, bridges and public transit, has to be reauthorized by the end of this month. Congress has known about this for a very long time. Democrats and Republicans agree the fund needs a significant revenue injection. They agree that the nation’s infrastructure is in an unacceptable state of disrepair.
But on Tuesday, all the House of Representatives could muster was a two-month extension.
Oh, Magoo. You’ve done it again.
In the past six years, Congress has passed more than 30 short-term extensions, averting short-term catastrophes without deciding on a long-term solution. The reason is twofold: The fund needs a gas-tax increase, and politicians have long memories.
The last time Congress raised the gas tax was 1993. The hike was a meager 4.3 cents a gallon, but the political fallout was immense. Politicians scrambled to sign pledges to never, ever raise taxes again.
So for every gallon of gas sold, the feds get 18.4 cents, an amount that hasn’t budged in 22 years. Since then, the gas tax has lost 38 percent of its value due to inflation. Meanwhile, motorists are buying more fuel-efficient cars and are driving fewer miles. As a result, the trust fund is nearly insolvent.
Federal spending on transportation (adjusted for inflation) is at its lowest point since 1947. That was also the last year the amount raised via transportation taxes and fees was enough to cover spending. So roads crumble, bridges fail, and many segments of our rail system are equally decrepit.
As “60 Minutes” showed last Sunday, a Hackensack River bridge built in the 19th century still carries more than 500 trains every day. A failure would stall trains up and down the East Coast. Designs for a new one were completed two years ago, but there is no money for the project.
And because federal funding has waned, state and local governments have had to step up. The Washington Legislature failed to pass a transportation package last year, but lawmakers are optimistic that a gas tax in the 11-cents-a-gallon range can be adopted this time.
Spokane legislators – all of them – need to get on board. A transportation package will boost employment and the economy. The community has consistently proven a unified voice gets more help for the area than one unwilling to work together. Potential compromises couple higher gas taxes with cost-saving reforms.
We need as many legislators as possible at the table to battle for local projects. Voting no just because gas taxes will increase isn’t leadership. It’s just more Magoo.