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The motor fuel tax (gas tax) represents the largest funding source for the transportation system in Ohio. However, as vehicles become more fuel efficient and electric vehicles more prevalent, drivers are buying less gas and therefore paying less in fuel tax. This results in less revenue that Ohio can use to maintain and repair Ohio’s roads and bridges.

In 2019, the Ohio Legislature took a step to address this chronic funding shortfall by enacting an increase in the fuel tax, which helped alleviate – but not eliminate – the projected shortfall. While the fuel tax increase has been helpful, it did not solve the longer-term trends in our state and nation that point to increased demand for fuel-efficient and electric vehicles. Fuel consumption in Ohio is expected to fall about 40% through 2040 due to the improved fuel efficiency of vehicles. With construction costs increasing and fuel consumption decreasing, a new way to fund road and bridge maintenance needs to be found.

In 2021, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) received a federal Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives (STSFA) program grant to study revenue alternatives. ODOT is using this federal grant to study a variety of alternative revenue mechanisms to replace the fuel tax and stabilize transportation revenues well into the future.

To help guide ODOT in this study, an External Advisory Committee (EAC) was formed in 2022. The EAC is comprised of 18 members, representing a broad range of interests from business to agriculture to transit to rural communities and more. Members provide relevant perspectives representative of their membership and share information about the committee’s activities with their organizations.

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