U.S. Rep. Matheson stresses Utah’s need for road money

Oil shale and tar sands in Utah could be a strong asset for the state with oil nearing the $100-a-barrel mark, but the state should not look to the federal government for help rebuilding I-15 or I-80, U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson told state legislators.

“We send $1 billion a day to the Mideast and to some people who aren’t friendly to us,” Matheson told Utah’s House of Representatives.

With plans to greatly increase gas mileage, “we will be driving more miles but using less gasoline,” Matheson said. Since state and federal gasoline taxes are based on how many gallons are sold, both the U.S. and Utah should consider other methods to pay for roads, he said.

Rep. Becky Lockhart pointed out that if the federal government will not pay to repair the federal roads, some of the federal gas tax should go to Utah.

However, Matheson said that Utah gets more gasoline tax money back from the federal government than it sends. “So you may not want to mess with changing” the distribution system, he added.