Matheson talks roads and energy

OREM — Utah and the rest of the United States are approaching major crossroads in transportation, energy, finance and other issues, U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson told students during a Friday afternoon address at Utah Valley State College.

Tough decisions will likely have to be made in the near future in many of those areas, he said.

Matheson, a Democrat who represents Utah's 2nd District and who sits on the House Transportation Committee and worked in the energy industry before being elected to the House, was asked to discuss transportation and energy issues.

"When you come from the second-driest state in the country and one of the fastest-growing states in the country, how you spend money on (transportation and energy) becomes very important," he said.

Matheson said the demand for more roads is an issue across the nation, but how to pay for those roads has become more difficult in recent years, with the federal gas tax holding steady at just over 18 cents per gallon since 1991.

Inflation since then has severely limited the purchasing power of federal highway funds, and finding additional funds is difficult, he said.

"Voting to raise the gas tax is not something a lot of people want to do. . . . so the question is how do we fund our roads?" he asked.

A number of options, including toll roads and alternate forms of taxation, will be debated in the near future, Matheson said.

Regarding energy, Matheson said maintaining a steady supply of oil is important for short-term needs, but the nation needs to develop technological advances like improved hybrid vehicles in the midterm and alternate energy sources in the long-term.

Congress' role in that development, he said, should not be to set research priorities but provide money to universities and researchers to find those alternatives.

"Recognize that this country, including Alaska, has about 2 percent of the world's oil supply," he pointed out. "We can't drill our way to independence. . . . you need the technological advancement to free ourselves of foreign energy dependency."

After his brief remarks, Matheson spent the majority of the hourlong presentation fielding questions from the audience, which ranged from oil drilling in Alaska to the Iraq war to the recent scandals that have affected a number of congressmen.