Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Fuel Used for Off-Highway Recreation

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/814356· OSTI ID:814356
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) established a National Recreational Trails Funding Program and the National Recreational Trails Trust Fund. ISTEA requires that tax revenue generated from the sales of motor fuel used for off-highway recreation be transferred from the Highway Trust Fund to the Trails Trust Fund for recreational trail and facility improvements. In order to apportion the Trails Trust Fund to individual states equitably, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) asked the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to estimate the amount of motor fuel used for off-highway recreation at the state level by different vehicle types. This report documents this estimation procedure. For this estimation procedure, off-highway recreational fuel use was defined as Federally taxed gasoline, gasohol, diesel fuel, or special fuel used in recreational motorized vehicles on recreational trails or back country terrain. Fuel used in outdoor non-engine recreational equipment, such as camp stoves, heaters, and lanterns, was excluded from the analysis. Vehicle types included in this study were: pickup truck, light utility vehicle, motorcycle, all terrain vehicle (ATV), and snowmobile. Two factors governed the development of this estimation procedure. First, individual state shares of the total Trust Funds need to be developed using a uniform approach. Second, data needed for the estimation procedure should be publicly available and easily obtainable so that estimates for all subsequent years can be generated easily. Estimates were developed based on existing data sources. Adjustment factors were developed to take into account different vehicular off-highway recreational usage among states.
Research Organization:
ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
US Department of Energy (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
814356
Report Number(s):
ORNL-6794
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Fuel used for off-highway recreation
Technical Report · Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1994 · OSTI ID:10176789

Fuel Used for Off-Road Recreation: A Reassessment of the Fuel Use Model
Technical Report · Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1999 · OSTI ID:9796

Report to the Congress on nonhighway recreational fuel taxes
Technical Report · Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1994 · OSTI ID:6962536