a:25:{s:9:"weblog_id";s:1:"4";s:8:"entry_id";s:0:"";s:6:"sticky";s:0:"";s:14:"allow_comments";s:1:"n";s:16:"allow_trackbacks";s:1:"n";s:10:"entry_date";s:19:"2010-12-06 07:09 PM";s:15:"expiration_date";s:0:"";s:23:"comment_expiration_date";s:0:"";s:8:"category";a:1:{i:0;s:1:"4";}s:9:"author_id";s:1:"4";s:6:"status";s:4:"open";s:14:"trackback_urls";s:0:"";s:18:"versioning_enabled";s:1:"y";s:5:"title";s:28:"ASCE, AGC  Back Gas Tax Rise";s:9:"url_title";s:26:"asce_agc_back_gas_tax_rise";s:6:"submit";s:6:"Submit";s:11:"field_id_26";s:28:"ASCE, AGC  Back Gas Tax Rise";s:11:"field_ft_26";s:4:"none";s:11:"field_id_31";s:0:"";s:11:"field_id_44";s:434:"A proposal from President Obama\'s Deficit Commission to increase the gas tax as a means of reducing the federal deficit and improving the nation\'s transportation infrastructure today received a vote of support from the St. Louis Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), as well as the organization\'s national office. The Associated General Contractors of St. Louis also issued a statement supporting the measure. ";s:11:"field_ft_44";s:4:"none";s:11:"field_id_28";s:18:"AGC, ASCE, deficit";s:11:"field_ft_28";s:4:"none";s:11:"field_id_29";s:3873:"<p>A proposal from President Obama\'s Deficit Commission to increase the gas tax as a means of reducing the federal deficit and improving the nation\'s transportation infrastructure today received a vote of support from the St. Louis Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), as well as the organization\'s national office. The Associated General Contractors of St. Louis also issued a statement supporting the measure.</p>
<p>\"St. Louis\'s economic future depends on a functioning infrastructure, and unfortunately over recent decades, we have allowed these critical systems to decline,\" said Adam Spector, president of ASCE\'s St. Louis Section. \"Investing in infrastructure creates jobs and supports our quality of life, and doing so by increasing the federal gas tax will not only improve our roads, bridges and transit systems, but will also help reduce the federal deficit.\"</p>
<p><br />The AGC of St. Louis\' president Len Toenjes,&nbsp; released the following statement in response to the Deficit Commission\'s decision to recommend a 15 cent increase to the federal gas tax as part of its&nbsp; plan to address the country\'s growing fiscal imbalance:</p>
<p>\"The Deficit Commission wisely appreciates that the best way to reduce the deficit and simultaneously support a strong and expanding economy is to invest in our aging network of highways, bridges and transit systems.  Even as the broader report calls for dramatic reductions in federal spending, the commission has made clear that our country can\'t afford to neglect the infrastructure that has driven fifty years of economic growth and prosperity.</p>
<p>\"Thanks to the commission\'s transportation proposal, countless thousands of employers will benefit from the reduced shipping costs, improved efficiency and greater levels of safety that a modern and effective transportation network promises.  Indeed, the construction industry alone loses an estimated $20 billion a year because of chronic traffic delays, safety threats and increased costs that come from our aging network of roads, bridges and transit systems.</p>
<p>\"The proposal to raise the gas tax also will provide much-needed relief for our state\'s construction industry, which has lost 11,900 jobs over the past 12 months alone.</p>
<p>\"Even as the impact of the Commission\'s broader deficit reduction proposal on the health of the hard-hit construction industry remains unclear, there is no doubt that the members\' transportation proposal is sound.  That is why we are urging Missouri\'s Congressional delegation to ensure that any final plan to reduce our deficit includes the commission\'s wise counsel to raise the federal gas tax and bring our transportation system back to a state of good repair.\"</p>
<p>The federal motor fuels tax generates revenues that are reserved for investment in highway and public transportation improvements through the Highway Trust Fund. This tax, however, has not been adjusted since 1993 and has lost one-third of its purchasing power over the last 17 years. The Highway Trust Fund has become insolvent in recent years and required multiple emergency transfers from the General Fund.  The current proposal includes a 15 cent increase in the gas tax beginning in 2013 and would eliminate transfers from the General Fund.</p>
<p>In Missouri, 31 percent of roads are in poor or mediocre condition and 30 percent of bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Driving on roads in need of repair costs Missouri motorists $380 each year in wasted time and fuel. Also, in Illinois, 33 percent of roads are in poor or mediocre condition and 17 percent of bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Driving on roads in need of repair costs Illinois motorists $292 each year in wasted time and fuel.</p>
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