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With federal highway funds dwindling, some states are proposing unprecedented fuel-tax increases, while others are considering legalized gaming and boosting sales taxes to pay for roads and bridge fixes.

In his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, President Obama pitched a “Fix-It First” program to address the nation’s most immediate infrastructure needs and called for more use of natural gas as a transportation fuel.

Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) said Tuesday that he plans to introduce a bill in the next month to create an infrastructure investment office within the Treasury Department as well as a fund to make loans to states.

Here’s a double-barreled dose of worrisome news: Trucking wasted some $27 billion in fuel and lost productivity during 2011 due to congestion in the nation’s largest urban areas; fuel prices spiked in the most recent survey by the Department of Energy, 9.5 cents a gallon for diesel and 18.1 cents for gasoline.

It’s nice to hear from the new chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that he recognizes what dire straits the Highway Trust Fund is in and that he’s open to all suggestions as to how to fix it.

The new chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said he remains open to any option that can increase the amount of federal funding available for highway projects, including the possibility of raising the federal fuel tax.

Funding for roads and bridges continued to be the overriding issue for states in 2012 as transportation officials sought new ways to raise revenue.