Americans driving fewer miles

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Marc Giauque reportingHere's a statistic to consider this Memorial Day weekend: The U.S. Department of Transportation says Americans are driving at historic lows.

Tom Allen is among thousands of Utahns who now take a train to and from work.

"I'm saving about $125 a month," he said.

The Department of Transportation says Americans drove 11-billion fewer miles than they did at this time last year. There hasn't been a drop like that since 1979.

That may be good environmental news. Officials say greenhouse gas emissions fell by 9-million metric tons. But it may not necessarily be good news for highways. Funding for them depends largely on the federal gasoline excise tax.

E-mail: mgiauque@ksl.com