Falling gas prices present an opportunity for lawmakers in both Washingtons to fund investments in transportation infrastructure, editorialized several newspapers this weekend.
According to The New York Times: “Gasoline prices have fallen more than 40 percent since the end of June thanks to the collapse of global oil prices. That makes this the perfect time for Congress to overcome its longstanding terror of offending the nation’s motorists and raise the tax on gasoline and diesel fuel.”
The federal tax on gasoline of 18.4 cents a gallon hasn’t been raised for more than two decades, and the American Society of Civil Engineers gave our nation’s road and transit systems a D grade in 2013.
“If the federal tax on gasoline had simply kept up with inflation, it would be 30 cents today,” stated The New York Times.
Meanwhile, The News Tribune called this “the perfect moment to fund highway infrastructure.”
Along with lower gas prices in Washington state, the ongoing labor dispute at West Coast ports has made clear the connection between Western Washington infrastructure and the state’s agricultural exports.
“It’s obvious that the fortunes of agriculture are tied to the two ports,” the newspaper stated. “Some of the most tax-averse Eastern Washingtonians now understand the case for the Puget Sound Gateway project, which would protect port traffic from paralyzing congestion by extending state Routes 167 and 509.”
Likewise, bipartisan support for a package has been building in the Legislature over the past two years. The Seattle Times named a transportation infrastructure package as one of the pressing issues that state lawmakers should be able to reach an agreement on quickly this session.
Said the Seattle Times: “Traffic is abysmal; it is stifling economic growth, particularly for ports. Fix this, pronto.”