The incoming Biden administration appears poised to move quickly on infrastructure funding, including dealing with the knotty aspects of financing—potentially stemming a growing nationwide deficit on spending for roads, bridges water, electricity and transit.

Speaking at a video press conference Jan. 12 announcing release of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ latest long-term economic study—which forecasts a $5.6-trillion investment gap in infrastructure by 2039—U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, said conversations with Biden’s team indicate a willingness to work with Congress on charting a long-term course away from the federal fuel tax, and toward an alternative that would be “sustainable and fair over time.”