Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) is exploring ways to use a mileage tax and satellite technology to pay for roads, instead of a fuel tax, the Albany (Ore.) Democrat-Herald reported Saturday.
As part of a transportation filed for the state’s 2009 legislative session, Kulongoski said he plans to recommend a path to transition away from the gas tax, the paper said.
“As Oregonians drive less and demand more fuel-efficient vehicles, it is increasingly important that the state find a new way, other than the gas tax, to finance our transportation system,” Kulongoski said on his Web site, the Democrat-Herald reported.
He wants a task force to partner with auto manufacturers to develop technology that would enable residents to pay for the transportation system based on how many miles they drive, the paper reported.
A technology tested in 2006 and 2007 used a global positioning system that tracked in-state mileage driven by volunteers, which read their mileage when they bought fuel, charged them 1.2 cents a mile and gave them a refund of the state’s 24-cent gas tax, the paper said.
