In place of actual tax information, motor fuel data, originating in State records, are used to identify the sources of Trust Fund receipts. The Federal-aid highway funds distributed in fiscal year 1995, based on the attribution of Trust Fund receipts, exceeded $1.9 billion, or slightly more than 10 percent of total funds apportioned by FHWA. It is clear that complete and accurate motor-fuel statistics "the underlying attribution factor" are critical to the fair and equitable distribution of Federal aid.

In addition to their use in distribution of enacted authorizations to the States, data reported in Highway Statistics also may be used to evaluate formula factors in proposed legislation or in the development of legislative alternatives. For example, the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 199~ (an earlier Administration's ISTEA-type proposal) would have used motor-fuel and public-road miles, both reported in Highway Statistics, as distribution factors for National Highway System apportionments to the States.

Mass Transit Information

Financial information on mass transportation has taken on new importance as a result of the increasing use by the States of a common fund for both highway and mass transit projects, the establishment of the Mass Transit Account within the Federal Highway Trust Fund, and the designation of 2 cents per gallon of the Federal motor fuel tax for mass transit. In addition, under the ISTEA, funding of transit improvements with Federal-aid highway funds was made considerably easier and thus, more likely under the flexibility provisions of the Surface Transportation Program. Credible transit data are essential to the rational management of these new legislative provisions. FHWA and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) use financial information to determine the extent to which States are financing mass transportation activities. FHWA collects State-level data for FTA, and WA shares information supplied by transit operations with FHWA.


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In addition to their use in distribution of enacted authorizations to the States, data reported in Highway Statistics also may be used to evaluate formula factors in proposed legislation or in the development of legislative alternatives.