Motor Fuel Reporting

1
Motor Fuel Reporting

• Federal Highway Administration
• Ralph Erickson

2
Introduction

• Briefly review
• Why motor fuel data is important
• How FHWAs attribution process works
• Describe what steps FHWA is taking to
• Improve data quality
• Ease the data reporting burden

3
Use of Motor Fuel Data I

• States contribution to the Highway Trust Fund
• Not available from IRS data
• Use State revenue data
• States share of several Federal Highway programs
• NHS
• STP
• IM
• Minimum guarantee

4
Use of Motor Fuel Data - II

• How Attribution works
• Measure on-highway gallons of motor fuel
• Gasoline
• Gasohol
• Special fuels
• Sum to derive the national total (by type)
• Derive each States share of the national total
• Use those shares to determine revenue shares

5
Reassessment of MF Reporting

• Increased emphasis on accuracy
• FHWA re-assessment of existing procedures
• GAO review of existing procedures
• Status of reassessment efforts

6
Re-assessment Overview

• Proceeding on several fronts
• Outreach
• FHWA oversight of State data
• State review/verification of motor fuel data
• Implement smart-form reporting
• Design database for input, storage, and retrieval
• Objective Improve motor fuel data quality

7
Re-assessment Outreach

• Creating a more open process
• Overview brochure
• Process documentation
• Federal Register request for comments
• Summary report
• Attribution and Apportionment of Federal Highway
  Tax Revenues
• Available in December, 2001

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Oversight of State Data

• General Accounting Office and Inspector General
  reviews emphasize data quality through oversight
• Preferred options
• Stronger, more in-depth reviews
• FHWA Division Office responsibility
• Develop techniques and training for Division
• EXSTARS for additional verification

9
FHWA Oversight Committee-I

• Composition
• Nine Field Office representatives
• Financial Managers (3)
• Planners (4)
• Management (2)
• Four Headquarters representatives
• Motor Fuels Team (2)
• Management (2)

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FHWA Oversight Committee-II

• Met in Washington, DC, May 3-4
• Discussed motor fuel issues and responsibilities
  for oversight
• Conclusions
• Division Office work plan
• in-depth review by September 30, 2002
• Future review on as-needed basis
• HQ questions to Division Office to resolve

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FHWA Oversight Committee-III

• National oversight workshops
• December 13-14, 2001 in Chicago, Illinois
• January 24-25, 2002 in Atlanta, Georgia
• Purpose
• Prepare for oversight reviews
• Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) techniques
• Agenda
• Pilot reviews and lessons learned
• Discussion of oversight review design

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State Verification of Annual Motor Fuel Data

• Memo to Division Offices
• Have State review the data in partnership with
  the Division Office
• Check for accuracy in annual data
• February to May time frame

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Smart-Form Design

• Goals
• States directly input data
• Improved accuracy
• Pilot with test States
• Evaluate and modify
• Target January, 2002 for first use
• http//apps.fhwa.dot.gov/MotorFuels

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Database Design

• Evaluate storage, calculation and retrieval
  considerations
• Develop criteria for implementation
• At this point, work is just beginning

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Summary - Improve Data Quality

• Outreach
• FHWA oversight of State data
• State review/verification of motor fuel data
• Design smart-form reporting
• Design database for input, storage, and retrieval
• The bottom line Improve the data quality
  process from top to bottom