Oregon is ready to launch a first-in-the-nation pilot project to charge drivers based on their mileage rather than their gas consumption:

Drivers who join the program will be charged 1.5 cents per mile for trips that take place on Oregon roads. Participants will be given the option of using a GPS to record their miles or using a non-GPS option that will track usage based on the mileage counters of cars.

In return for participating, the drivers will be offered a tax credit reimbursing them for the 31-cent-per-gallon Oregon gas tax.

Participation in the program will initially be limited to 5,000 cars.

I imagine the first participants to sign up will be those in gas guzzlers who don’t drive very far. But in the long term, this is probably the best way to ensure we have adequate funds for our transportation infrastructure, particularly as vehicles become more fuel efficient.