Christopher Hopkins

The 1970s marked the first time Americans rushed in a panic to buy fuel-efficient foreign import automobiles. Long lines at gas stations caused by the 1973 Arab oil embargo ignited a switch from eight-cylinder gas-guzzlers to smaller, less-thirsty vehicles. Eventually, panic subsided, gas remained plentiful and relatively cheap, and we re-acquired the taste for powerful land yachts, then the SUV craze.

A question that should have been asked as soon as that phenomenon began, however, is one that now needs to be answered: Is the federal gas tax obsolete?

The problem created by more fuel-efficient vehicles is that cars with better gas mileage require less gasoline, which results in a reduction of gas tax revenue.  And the federal gas tax serves one primary purpose — to fund the building and maintaining of roads and bridges across the United States, America’s infrastructure.

Gas tax revenue has been on a steady decline for several years. When you combine this with the increasing need to bring our transportation infrastructure up to date, you quickly recognize a troublesome formula. The tax no longer pays for the cost of the upkeep. Between 2008 and 2010, the federal government has had to add an additional $30 billion to transportation funding. With increased fuel mileage, the growing use of hybrids, and the emergence of the electric car, the gas tax revenue can only go down.

The solution, so far, has been to raise the tax. The gas tax has been raised three times since 1980 — during the Reagan Administration in 1982, the George H.W. Bush Administration in 1990 and the Clinton administration in 1993. But increasing the tax simply puts off the inevitable discussion and decision on how to fund future transportation infrastructure.

You could make an argument that the gas tax has been the most fair tax and has actually been a user fee — the more you drive, the more of the tax you pay. If you drive a large eighteen-wheel truck, causing more wear and tear on the road, you get far less gas mileage and, therefore, you bear a larger share of the gas tax burden. But that has been changing. If you drive an electric car, for instance, you pay nothing to maintain the road infrastructure even though you are contributing to its wear and tear.

A Vehicle Mileage Tax (VMT) is an idea whose time has come to be debated. To put it plainly, instead of paying a tax on the fuel you use, you pay a tax on the miles you drive.

Those who support the idea believe that it is a fair way to distribute the tax burden. The ideas put forward include assigning a tax rate based on your vehicle. Theoretically, a large SUV would pay more per mile than a Smart Car since it weighs more and would have a larger impact on road deterioration. Supporters claim a VMT would at least stabilize the revenue stream for transportation spending and stop the increasing gap between revenue and need.

Opponents of a VMT believe that there are drawbacks, notably how to track the mileage. The idea of installing a GPS into every car that can track where you have been and home many miles you drive is drawing the wrath of civil liberties advocates.

Other ideas being floated are somewhat less controversial, such as placing a chip in your car/odometer that would be read every time you fuel your car. The chip determines how many miles you have traveled since your last trip to the gas station, and that tax is added to your gas purchase. Another idea would have the tax calculated when cars are inspected annually. (One problem with that is 14 states currently have no type of vehicle inspection.)

The issue isn’t about to be settled easily in today’s political climate, where even talking about a tax change draws fire. When the U.S. Department of Transportation last May proposed draft legislation to study — only study, mind you — a VMT, Republicans immediately attacked “President Obama’s new driving tax,” and the administration quickly disowned it.

What is clear is that the issue needs to be addressed, and soon.  The federal government cannot keep bridging the funding gap for infrastructure upkeep. And while today, only 3 percent of the cars produced in the United States are hybrids, that number is increasing every year. As this continues to happen, the funding shortfall based solely on a gas tax will grow even wider.

About the author: Christopher Hopkins, senior vice president of Aggregates and Mining for Saint Consulting, oversees all of the company’s work in the quarry and mining industries in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. He is a regular speaker on overcoming the difficulties of permitting aggregate quarries and mineral mines before such organizations as the National Sand, Stone and Gravel Association, Ontario Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, the Northwest Mining Association, and the American Coal Council.  Hopkins has recently been appointed as an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona. Hopkins will teach a course about how to overcome community opposition and political hurdles when permitting a mineral mine.

H.R. 2887, the FAA and Highway Extensions Act, was introduced by the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.) and was passed in the House earlier in the week before the Senate passed the legislation.

The measure extends surface transportation programs at level funding and the authority to collect the gas user fee for six months, through March 31, 2012, as well as the FAA program and authority to collect aviation user fees for four and a half months, through Jan. 31, 2012, according to a report from the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA).

NSSGA also reports that the current FAA authority expires Sept. 16, while the HTF authority and other surface transportation law expires Sept. 30. The bill now awaits President Barack Obama’s signature.

“It is a positive step for the country that the Congress has passed this historic combination of extensions, which is important for job creation and our nation’s infrastructure,” Mica said in a written statement.  “With the FAA bill delayed four and half years and a two-year delay on the highway measure, Congress must now act responsibly to enact long-term reauthorizations that will put Americans back to work and build our nation’s infrastructure.

“I challenge House and Senate leaders to continue to work toward long overdue solutions that address our transportation needs,” Mica continued. “The 22nd FAA extension and 8th highway bill extension must be the last.”

Main first toured Fred Weber, Inc.’s Bluff City Minerals, an underground aggregates facility in Alton, Ill. There, he noted first-hand the absence of flammable gases, the multiple, wide portals for entry and exit and the solid rock formations that so starkly distinguish aggregates from other MSHA-regulated sectors. Doug Weible, president of Fred Weber, Inc., commented, “We’re pleased to show Mr. Main that underground aggregates is a very safe business. Our commitment to safety is just one reason why it has been almost 15 years since there’s been a multiple fatality incident in aggregates. This commitment to safety is demonstrated by our track record.”

Main then toured the sun-drenched Casper Stolle Quarry & Contracting Co., a surface facility in Dupo, Ill. There, he heard workers emphasize their interest in thorough training of MSHA inspectors so that they evaluate conditions with a focus on genuine risk versus mere compliance.

“I was pleased to get the chance to repeat to Mr. Main our urging that MSHA continue to work on inspector training so that enforcement is done properly,” Anne Cramer, vice president of Casper Stolle, commented in a press release from NSSGA. “Only in that way can we attain consistent compliance, which is critical for operators to have the best opportunity to manage for safety and health.”

Both companies are headed by CEOs who have signed the NSSGA Safety Pledge, which commits the company to helping the industry reduce injuries by 10 percent in each of the next five years. More than 90 percent of all NSSGA workers are employed by a CEO who has signed the Safety Pledge.

Louis Griesemer of Springfield Underground, Inc., Springfield, Mo., and NSSGA’s co-chair of the industry’s MSHA alliance, said, “We are pleased to highlight the continuing positive trends toward greater safety in stone, sand and gravel. While our goal is zero injuries, we know we’re headed in the right direction. We believe that, as the largest mining sector regulated by MSHA, aggregates should be regulated and enforced against according to our risk profile, versus the risk profiles of other sectors.”

Tim Reagan

Pam Whitted

The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) continues to tighten its internal organization for focus and efficiency.  Federal regulations, federal legislation and judicial process are now coordinated in one functional department to help enhance the unified voice that is critical to grassroots efforts and association coalitions.

Pam Whitted has been promoted from vice president for Government Affairs to senior vice president for Legislative and Regulatory Affairs and will oversee the Government Affairs Division and Environmental, Safety & Health Division.

Tim Reagan, promoted to senior vice president for NSSGA Member Services, will be responsible for the AGG1 tradeshow and the AGG1 Academy; the Operations, Education, Marketing and Communications Division; the M&S Division and Membership Development; the association’s newsletter and magazine; and the oversight of the OEC Knowledge Center, a new digital platform designed to bring individuals and groups together for project planning, education and networking.

The awards program recognizes aggregate operations throughout the United States and Canada for their extraordinary commitment to safety, for their superior performance as environmental stewards, and for their community involvement and support activities that have enhanced the image of the aggregates industry during 2009-2010.

“Despite the continuing economic challenges this year, the responses from our member companies represent exemplary efforts of their employees on behalf of the aggregates industry,” said NSSGA President and CEO Joy Wilson. “We are so pleased to be able to recognize these operations whose achievements in the fields of safety, environment, and community relations remind us of the important role the aggregates industry plays in ensuring a greater quality of life in America.”

The Environmental Excellence Awards program was created in 1992 to provide national recognition for aggregate producers that meet and exceed technical, environmental and regulatory requirements.

Martinovich, the 2010 AASHTO vice president and AASHTO’s first female president, has worked for the Nevada DOT for more than 26 years.

As AASHTO president, Martinovich’s single emphasis area during her 2011 term will be advocating for enactment of a well-funded, multi-year, and flexible federal surface transportation program.

“The legislation that supports our federal highway and transit programs expired more than a year ago and a new bill has not been approved by Congress,” said Martinovich in a written statement. “There’s a genuine sense of concern among state DOT leaders that, without passage of a new bill, states cannot move forward with many of the long-term projects that create and sustain hundreds of thousands of jobs, improve the economy, and decrease traffic congestion.”

Martinovich was appointed as director of the Nevada DOT in January 2007. She is responsible for the daily operations of the Nevada DOT, which has an operating budget of more than $700 million and 1,700 employees.

Martinovich earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno, and is a licensed professional engineer in the states of Nevada and California. Prior to her appointment as director, Martinovich held a variety of positions with the department beginning in 1984. She worked her way up through the organization, primarily specializing in engineering, bridge design, and project development.

Martinovich is also involved in national activities in the areas of project management, safety, and research. She is a member of the Executive Committee for the Transportation Research Board and she has served on many AASHTO committees including the Standing Committee on Research and Standing Committee on Traffic Safety. Martinovich is a native Nevadan with two sons and resides in both Carson City and Las Vegas.

Kirk T. Steudle began his career with the MDOT in 1987. As a registered professional engineer, Steudle has been engaged in all aspects of Michigan transportation. He was appointed State Transportation Director on March 4, 2006.

Steudle administers the department’s multi-modal transportation programs, including nearly 10,000 miles of state trunkline and 4,400 state highway bridges. MDOT currently has 2,800 employees statewide.

A graduate of Lawrence Technological University, Steudle earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Engineering. He also served on the Essexville City Council from 1995 to 1999.

Currently he chairs the AASHTO Standing Committee on Performance Management and Subcommittee on Asset Management, and also serves on the Executive Committee.

Steudle lives in South Lyon, Mich., with his wife Marilyn and two children.

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) is calling it “an important first step in developing high-speed rail infrastructure in Texas” to give passengers more travel options and help ease chronic congestion.

The grant funding will be used to complete feasibility studies and preliminary service planning for a designated 850-mile high-speed rail corridor, which runs along I-35 between South Texas and Oklahoma City. The grant funding will be shared with the State of Oklahoma, and Texas will be the lead partner in the project.

“This award supporting planning and feasibility studies is an important first step in developing high-speed rail infrastructure in Texas,” said Sen. Hutchison in a prepared statement. “The availability of intercity passenger rail service will give Texans more travel options and help ease our state’s chronic traffic congestion.

“I applaud the Federal Railroad Administration for recognizing the importance and potential of high speed rail in Texas,” she continued, “and I hope we can forge a strong public-private partnership to bring this project to fruition.”

Sen. Hutchison, the senior Republican on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, has long pressed the U.S. Department of Transportation to extend high-speed passenger rail service beyond the Northeast corridor.

At a Sept. 15, 2010, Commerce Committee hearing on the federal role in national rail policy, she questioned Deputy Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari on what states like Texas need to be doing to invest in rail projects and corridors that could become part of a national network.

Click here for the full text of Sen. Hutchison’s statement made at the hearing.

The program committee is still working on the specific presentations for the Tuesday portion of the meeting, but the committee willl make a more detailed list of speakers and presentation topics as it becomes available and will continue to post updated program news at http://www.arra.org.

Hotel reservations can be made now by calling 800-233-1234. A group rate is available by mentioning the Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association. The hotel cutoff date is October 8.

For the meeting brochure, including the preliminary lineup of presentations and registrations for the Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association Mid-Year meeting, click here.

ACI has provided the industry with educational seminars since 1969, and each year continues to conduct more than 50 seminars throughout the U.S. to over a thousand attendees on a variety of concrete technology-related topics such as structural design, durability, repair, troubleshooting, slabs-on-ground, and site paving.

In addition to having the most up-to-date information at each seminar, attendees receive 0.75 Continuing Education Units (CEUs), or 7.5 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) per day, free ACI publications usually worth over $100, breads/pastries, lunch, and refreshment breaks.

Concrete Repair Basics

This is a one-day seminar for engineers, repair contractors, material suppliers, maintenance personnel, and public works engineers. Attendees will learn the best methods and materials for economical and effective concrete repairs, and topics will include condition surveys, repair techniques, repair materials, cracks and joints, and applications of repair techniques. Locations for this seminar include Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.; Atlanta, Ga.; Sacramento, Calif.; and Dallas, Texas.

Concrete Slabs-on-Ground

This is a one-day seminar for specifiers, engineers, architects, contractors, building owners, and government agencies. Attendees will learn to design and specify quality concrete floors, and topics include engineering considerations, moisture emission, design for shrinkage, curing, surface tolerances, preparation, placing, finishing, and more. Locations for this seminar include Baltimore, Md.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Louisville, Ky.; and Atlanta, Ga.

Anchorage to Concrete

This is a one-day seminar for engineers, architects, specifiers, and building officials that focuses on the basic ACI design framework for anchorage to concrete, the background of ACI 318-08 Appendix D, several design examples using the provisions in ACI 318-08 Appendix D, and the background behind ACI 355.2-07 anchor qualification requirements. Attendees will gain the tools needed to design structural connections to concrete using the anchorage provisions of ACI 318-08 with confidence. Locations for this seminar include Richmond, Va.; Detroit, Mich.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Little Rock, Ark.; Los Angeles, Calif.; and Des Moines, Iowa.

Simplified Design of Concrete Buildings of Moderate Size and Height, from ACI and PCA

This is a one-day seminar for civil, architectural, and structural engineers, and building officials, that focuses on the design of concrete buildings of moderate size and height, in accordance with the latest information in ACI 318-08, 2009 IBC, and ASCE 7-05. Topics include structural systems layout, floor systems, determination of loads, general reinforced concrete requirements, and detailed building design examples. Locations for this seminar include Minneapolis, Minn.; Boston, Mass.; Seattle, Wash.; Charlotte, N.C.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Houston, Texas.

Troubleshooting Concrete Construction

This one-day seminar will provide contractors, design engineers, specifiers, government agencies, and material suppliers with solutions to problems with concrete. The seminar will cover placing reinforcement, preventing most cracks, making functional construction joints, vibrating concrete properly, detecting delaminations, identifying causes of deteriorating concrete, and more. Locations for this seminar include Denver, Colo.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Chicago, Ill.; and Orlando, Fla.

ACI members receive discounts on ACI seminars. For more information on seminars and to register, please call 248-848-3815 or visit www.concreteseminars.com

The 20-page publication provides a synthesis of the most important factors for consideration in pavement type selection processes. These include traffic, soil, weather, construction considerations, recycling, cost comparisons, sustainability, noise, roughness, and safety. In addition, the white paper presents the advantages of asphalt pavement for roads that best meet these criteria.

“Systems for selecting pavement type should be objective, defensible, understandable, and based on historical records,” said Dave Newcomb, NAPA’s Vice President—Research and Technology, one of the authors of the report. “It’s also important that these processes be driven primarily by economics. The goal is to provide the best value for the taxpayer and the road user—not to support the economic health of a pavement industry. In general, there are no greater investments made by a transportation agency than the construction or reconstruction of pavements. The impacts are great and far-reaching. The importance of these investments makes the selection process worthy of thoughtful analysis.”

The publication is available as a free download from the Economics area of the APA’s Web site at www.AsphaltRoads.org.