Thesis advisor: Richard, S.J. McGowan / The New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority (NJTTFA or TTFA) is an independent agency of the New Jersey state government that is responsible for administering the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF of “the Fund”), which is used to fund transportation capital project expenditures by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and the NJ TRANSIT commuter-rail and bus system. The TTF is essential for maintaining, improving, and repairing New Jersey’s infrastructure system. However, since the TTFA was created in 1984, it has been inadequately financed by the state government and has irresponsibly issued enormous amounts of debt. Because of this, it has now it has run into major financing problems. Currently, the TTF’s revenues are insufficient to cover its increasing debt obligations. Because of this, the TTF is expected to be bankrupt by July of this year (2011). If this happens, New Jersey will be left without any financing for its already-troubled infrastructure system.This has become a major cause of concern for the State of New Jersey. For years, politicians and residents across the state have been unable to come to an agreement on how to best solve this growing problem. Because of this, financing strategies in the past have amounted to little more than temporary “Band-Aid” solutions focused principally on the issuance of massive amounts of debt. Now, the outstanding debt of the TTF has built up to the point that, in just a few short months, revenues will be insufficient to cover existing debt obligations. The New Jersey state government needs to take drastic action and adopt a long-term financing strategy that will allow the TTFA to meet its debt obligations and pay down outstanding debt, while still being able to fund essential transportation and infrastructure projects across the state.This paper will examine the causes and effects of the current funding deficit, as well various proposed solutions and strategies. After an in-depth examination of these topics, I will devise a recommended solution for solving the current deficit crisis faced by the TTF and for providing long-term financing for transportation requirements. The results will show that the most logical and effective long-term financing strategy will hinge upon an increase in state gasoline taxes, which are currently among the lowest in the nation. However, solving the problem will also require new sources of revenue and stringent financial management. / Thesis (BS) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Carroll School of Management. / Discipline: Carroll School of Management Honors Program.

For several years, residents of Cache County, Utah have suffered from the recurrence of what has come to be known as the winter-inversion, or “red-air-day” season. Each year during this season – which occurs primarily in the months of December, January, and February – particulate matter concentrations measuring two and half micrometers or less (commonly known as PM2.5) rise and languish (for periods of days or even weeks) above federally mandated standards, causing extensive harm to community health and confounding what have thus far been the relatively tepid control efforts undertaken by local and state policymakers. Through time-series regression modeling, we establish a statistical relationship between PM2.5 concentrations and vehicle use in Cache County, and further calculate a gas-price elasticity for the region. Next, we analyze the benefits and costs associated with a potential seasonal gas tax which, if set appropriately and enforced effectively, could decrease vehicle use and thereby lower health costs through concomitant decreases in PM2.5 concentrations. Specifically, we find a relatively strong positive relationship between percentage of vehicle trips reduced and associated reductions in PM2.5concentrations, and a gas price elasticity of approximately -0.31 in what we call a “high price variability environment.” Based upon these results, benefit-cost analysis suggests a potentially positive social net benefit for Cache County associated with imposing a seasonal gas tax to reduce PM2.5 concentrations during the winter-inversion season. Our benefit-cost analysis, which uses quantitative estimation techniques on both sides of the ledger, yields a first-of-its-kind social net benefit estimate for controlling elevated PM2.5 concentrations in Cache County through the imposition of a seasonal gas tax.

The Texas state gas tax has been 20.0 cents per gallon since 1991, and the federal gas tax has been 18.4 cents per gallon since 1993. The gas tax is not only stagnant, but depreciating in value due to inflation. Thus, damage is being done to the infrastructure but the money needed to maintain and improve roadways is not being adequately generated. One proposed alternative to the gas tax is the creation of a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee; with equity being a crucial issue to consider. This research used 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) Texas data to consider the equity impacts surrounding four VMT fee scenarios. Data were filtered and weighted to reflect results representative of Texas vehicle-owning households in 2008. Each scenario was run both statically and dynamically under the assumption that the VMT fee would replace the state gas tax. An assessment of the relative vertical equity of each scenario was made by calculating the Gini Coefficient associated with the proportion of state gas tax or VMT fee revenue generated by each household income level quintile. Results indicate that all VMT fee scenarios are essentially as equally vertically equitable than the current state gas tax system. Scenario 4 was designed to be inherently horizontally equitable because the per mile fee associated with each roadway type (urban or rural) was assessed to all vehicles driven on these roadway types at a rate calculated to generate needed funds to address the mobility and infrastructure needs of that roadway type. Scenario 3, a scenario favoring vehicles with high fuel efficiency, was found to be the least horizontally equitable. Scenarios 2-4 were able to generate additional revenue desired to meet the infrastructure and mobility needs of Texas set forth by the 2030 Texas Transportation Needs Committee. The large fee increase necessary to achieve the desired additional revenue may not be popular or possible. However, an evaluation of the philosophy governing each scenario designed to generate additional revenue is informative when it comes to equity impacts. No one VMT fee scenario affects all household income levels and geographic locations uniformly and it was not the goal of this research to design an equitable VMT fee scenario. Rather, the effect of each scenario on 2008 Texas vehicle-owning households disaggregated by household income level and geographic location are presented and left to the discretion of elected officials to decide which VMT fee, if any, would be best for their constituents.