Green light for roads cheered

A group of chambers of commerce, trucking companies and other businesses who have created an advocacy group to get public support for transportation funding applauded Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s announcement of revised road funding.

The group, Utahns for Safe and Efficient Transportation (USET), has been airing television and radio commercials in an attempt to get public support for funding transportation. Among those who were key in forming the group was the Salt Lake Chamber, who thanked Huntsman Wednesday for reinstating more than $1 billion worth of road projects during his State of the State speech Tuesday night. Those projects had been suspended in November because of the state's budget crunch.

"In just the first two days of the 2009 General Legislative Session, lawmakers and the governor have provided a needed and welcome stimulus," said Chamber President and CEO Lane Beattie in a news release. "We thank them for solving this problem in the first week and pledge to work with them to secure the needed funding for this and other vital state needs."

Still, USET said more funding is needed, both for currently-proposed projects such as the $2.6 billion I-15 reconstruction in Utah County and ongoing repair and construction. To accomplish that, they are pushing for "user fees" that are being considered during this legislative session.

USET supports proposals for higher motor vehicle registration fees and a "sensible fuel tax increase that grows over time." Currently, sales taxes from auto-related sales fund transportation projects, and USET opposes proposals to remove the earmark, said Melissa Cameron, a spokeswoman for USET.

However, USET may have to work hard to convince the public to swallow more taxes during a time of decreasing consumer confidence and increasing unemployment. A recent Deseret News/KSL-TV poll by Dan Jones & Associates showed 70 percent of Utahns oppose increasing fuel taxes to fund transportation.

Royce Van Tassell, vice president of the pro-business group Utah Taxpayers Association, said that raising gas taxes makes sense because the existing tax of 24.5 cents a gallon is not enough to improve infrastructure. But at the same time, their general position is "no net increase," and the gas tax hike is not being proposed by USET with any accompanying sales or income tax reductions.