More Here = Less There

This calculation is so simple that even I, who is severely math-challenged, can do it.  If the fuel tax remains the same but the amount of fuel used goes down, less money is generated.

The White House says:

On Tuesday, August 9, the President will travel to Interstate Moving Services in Springfield, Virginia, to announce first of their kind fuel efficiency standards for work trucks, buses, and other heavy duty vehicles. The new standards will provide American businesses, who operate and own these commercial vehicles, tens of billions of dollars in fuel savings, and will dramatically reduce oil consumption and cut pollution.

So, its the ol’ good news/bad news press release from 1600 Penn. Ave. Lower fuel costs will be more than welcome. So will less oil dependency and cleaner air. But if the Highway Trust Fund brings in less money, then one way or another there will be less for transportation infrastructure.

Tough call. That’s why we pay our politicians big bucks and expect them to make the right choices; even if they are hard ones.