On Tuesday, House Transportation Chair John Mica introduced Americans to the GOP vision for transportation. The five-year, $260 billion American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act would rewrite the nation’s transportation legislation, set to expire on March 31. The bill would expand the interstate highway system by building more toll roads. To pay for it all, there would more offshore drilling. Democrats and environmentalists were skeptical it could get through the Senate. Anna Gowan of the anti-drilling group Oceana called the idea a “non-starter.” “Putting offshore drilling into a bill to put more cars on the road seems like a doubly bad idea,” Gowan said. The suggestion that offshore drilling should pay for infrastructure is an idea that even Mica’s fellow Republicans have questioned. The federal highway trust fund faces a $12 billion gap over the next two years, and it’s highly unlikely that new wells could come anywhere close to bringing in that much tax revenue.

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