The US Senate has approved a long-term highway bill, which will provide three years of funding for the country’s roads, bridges and rails.
The House of Senate has included a provision that equalises the tax rate on LNG and LPG with the rates on diesel and gasoline in its 90-day Highway Trust Fund extension.
American Trucking Association’s President and CEO, Bill Graves, has welcomed the news: "The American Trucking Associations congratulates the Senate on passage of a highway reauthorisation bill that represents a significant step toward addressing our nation's transportation infrastructure needs.
"We now look forward to working with the House of Representatives to pass a well-funded bill that provides sufficient revenue for at least six years, with the goal of moving a bill out of a House-Senate conference committee before the next expiration. Passage of a long-term bill is well overdue, and it is past time for Congress to provide states with the certainty they need to address the enormous backlog in critical highway and bridge improvements."
Speaking of the LNG tax rate equalisation, Graves said: "By equalising the tax rates between LNG and traditional fuels, Congress has eliminated an unfair disadvantage in the taxation of LNG that has impeded wider use of natural gas vehicles."
Edited from press release by Callum O'Reilly