Campaign begins for Highway Trust Fund solution

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), as well as its industry partners, recently launched an advertising campaign for a solution for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF).

The campaign was sent out via several mediums. The purpose was to draw attention from the Congress that there is an urgent need to permanently fix the federal HTF.

The advertisements included a 60-second television ad promoting “Getting Beyond Gridlock” (GBG), which combines a diesel motor fuels tax and a $0.15 per gallon raise on federal gas. There is also an offsetting, six-year federal tax rebate that is applicable for lower and middle income Americans. The ad was scheduled to appear many times between Jun 16 and 18 on CNN and Fox within Washington, D.C.

“There is one sure way to sustainably end the Highway Trust Fund’s chronic cash flow problem … and not just for five or six years,” the ad said. “Increase the federal motor fuels excise rate by 15 cents per gallon and index it to inflation. The government’s energy experts see pretty stable short term motor fuel consumption ahead. Adjusting the gas and diesel excise rate now will result in a highly predictable and reliable revenue stream for Highway Trust Fund investments for years to come.”