Transportation's Role in Reducing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions ...

Transportation’s Role in Reducing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Volume 2
parts of the country. For a shift to electronic monitoring, some technical issues, as well as
the establishment of technologies and procedures to protect the privacy of travelers, still
are being resolved. Fees have been
proposed both at the State and national
level. The Federal government could
either directly implement a VMT fee
system, or encourage States to do so
through transportation funding
incentives or other means.
Intercity Tolls
Definition
Intercity tolls could be expanded from
the current toll roads present in some
States to all or most of the intercity
highway system. Tolls could be
collected on rural Interstate segments
and other limited-access rural highways
either using toll barriers and cash
payments, through the use of electronic
toll collection (where all vehicles would
be required to have transponders), or
through mixed systems which combine
physical toll barriers and electronic toll
collections. Most existing toll facilities in
the eastern U.S. now have combined
systems. As with existing toll facilities, it
is anticipated that different tolls would be set for different vehicle classes. Several intercity
toll roads (including in New Jersey, Maine, and Oklahoma) have different time-of-day/
day-of-week prices. Rates could be varied for light-duty versus heavy-duty vehicles based
on highway cost allocation studies, relative emissions rates, and/or other factors.
Magnitude and Timing of GHG Reductions
Approximately 260 billion VMT occurred on all rural Interstates in 2006, which is
8.6 percent of total VMT. Intercity tolls would have a similar VMT reduction effect as
VMT pricing, but only on this much smaller market segment. Using the same response
assumptions as described under VMT Fees, a toll of 2 to 5 cents per mile is estimated to
reduce rural Interstate VMT by about 1 percent to 2.5 percent. This equates to a reduction
of about 2.6 to 6.5 billion VMT, or 1.2 to 3.0 mmt CO2e in 2030. Higher tolls would have
greater impacts on VMT and GHG emissions. The effects of differentiated tolls by vehicle
type or other factors were not evaluated.
5-20
Intercity Tolls
Benefits: Low: 1-3 mmt CO2e in 2030
• Based on fee of 2 to 5 cents per mile applied
to rural Interstates
Direct Costs: High: $500 to $800 per tonne
Net Included Costs: Net Savings - Moderate: -
$500 to +$200 per tonne
Confidence in Estimates: Medium-High
• Price elasticities well documented; primary
variable is magnitude of fee
• Key uncertainty is potential diversion to non-
Interstate routes
Key Cobenefits and Impacts: Mixed/Negative
• Mobility decreases for most travelers
• Potential equity concerns, depending upon
how revenues are used
• Transportation revenue source provides
opportunities for reinvestment
Feasibility: Low
• Fees significant enough to measurably affect
behavior unlikely to be popular in the current
political climate
Key Policy Options:
• Adoption of national tolls on rural Interstate
highways