Senators Warn Fuel Taxes May Be Needed for Highways

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img src="/sites/default/files/images/articles/printeditiontag_new.gif" width=120 align=right>WASHINGTON — Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee transportation subcommittee said last week that hikes in federal and state fuel taxes may be needed next year to help maintain the nation's highways and bridges.

And while the senators agreed that more revenue would be needed to fix the infrastructure and unclog traffic bottlenecks across the country, no one at a Sept. 30 hearing commented on whether there were alternatives to raising fuel taxes.

"We have to understand that the money to do the job is not present," said Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio). "The reality is that we're going to have to increase the federal gas tax."

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