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OPINION * USA - Trucking industry should be taxed for its true cost
ID,USA -The Idaho Statesman -27 Nov 2007: -- Crude oil near $100 per barrel ought to concentrate our minds in U.S. society, but that doesn't seem to be happening so far. We could reduce oil consumption, improve the environment and get better use out of our highway investment with a couple of simple steps, but we cannot muster the political consensus or will to implement them... For one thing, we have long tolerated - make that encouraged - moving too much freight by truck and not enough by rail or water transport... One study, not funded by either trucking associations or railroads, found that trucks used a range of 1.4 to nine times as much fuel. An Iowa State University study found that trucks transporting grain across relatively flat terrain used seven times as much fuel per ton-mile... Higher per-gallon fuel taxes correct for environmental damage, but don't address the fact that damage to roads rises faster than fuel use as trucks get heavier. This is a long-standing problem, but one technology is solving. .. Global positioning systems to track and record vehicle locations in real time already exist and are sold as extra-cost options on some cars. "Weigh-in-motion" scales embedded in roads that weigh trucks passing over are getting more accurate and less expensive. Combine the two, and we finally have the capability to charge big trucks their true cost to society without overburdening light trucks and passenger vehicles... Over time, billing heavy trucks for what they cost the public would shift much heavy traffic from roads to rails. The change would not be immediate but it would reduce road wear, pollution and energy use. It would improve how productively we use available resources to meet our society's needs... However, the U.S. political system is what it is. Trucking associations are prepared to spend money on campaign contributions. Change will occur only when the general public recognizes what is at stake and communicates that to officials...Labels: opinions
posted by Unknown @ 7:09 AM
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