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Last week, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee — a guy who proposed banning the sale of gas-powered cars by 2030 while running for president two years ago — vetoed a statewide ban on selling gasoline-powered cars by 2030.
The reason for the shocking move, Inslee said in a statement, is a provision introduced into the law. Language said the 2030 target will come into force if lawmakers create a program to charge drivers based on how far they drive each year.
The bill was seen as a pioneer in electric vehicles and US climate policy, more aggressive than states like California, Massachusetts, and New York, Who have set their sights on 2035. Washington expects to comply with California regulations and eliminate the sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2035.
But there is a problem with these plans: the nation uses gas taxes to build and maintain roads and bridges to buses and ferries. Like more electric vehicles“In the meantime.” Ford F-150 Lightning, which will go on sale next year – will hit the road, gas sales will go down and along with the revenue from taxing them.
Matthew Metz, founder and executive director of the Seattle-based environmental group Coltura, is shocked and disappointed that Inslee has missed the opportunity to set the first zero-emission sales deadline in the country. The signing of the legislation, even with the attached per-mile tax program, says it would remove the future severity of the state’s infrastructure payments. Lawmakers “may continue to throw this issue off the road, but it will eventually have to be stopped,” Metz says.
In the U.S., they account for more than 40% of state and federal motor vehicle fuel tax, the largest source of revenue. But the federal government has not raised the gas tax since 1993, When 18.4 cents a liter was fixed. Since 2008, Congress has allocated more funds from other places, but the situation is unsustainable: the Congressional Budget Office says funding for 2030 if the funding system is not changed by federal transportation the budget will exceed $ 188 billion. At least 36 states have increased fuel taxes since 2010 to bring in more money.
Meanwhile, vehicles have achieved greater fuel efficiency, and a small but growing portion of U.S. vehicles use no gas at all. Automakers promise to spend the next decade expanding battery-powered models. (Anyone want an electric version of the best-selling vehicle in America, the Ford F-150 pickup? You can buy it in 2022.)
This transition is important for the planet. Twenty-nine percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from the transport sector, almost 60% of which are from light vehicles. Many believe that electrifying the country’s transportation system should be a key element in tackling climate change on any planet.
“Parliamentarians realize that yes, you are meeting that environmental goal,” by setting ambitious electrification targets, says Douglas Shinkle, who leads the transportation program at the National Conference of State Legislatures. “But at the same time, you have a negative impact on the system that drives these vehicles.”
That’s why they’re interested in leaders like Washington state politicians road user fees. In theory, the policy is simple: instead of paying a tax on every gallon of gas they use, drivers should pay a tax on every kilometer they drive. Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Transportation he accepted the idea in March, but did not include President Biden’s infrastructure proposal. Also in March, the Federal Highway Administration announced that it would fund pilot programs for eight state and regional road users. Shinkle says at least 13 states have introduced laws on road users.
But states that have experimented with and established road user quotas — clubs that include California, Hawaii, Minnesota, Oregon, Utah, and Virginia — have had a lot of thorny questions. Collecting gas tax is easy and cheap; drivers pay at the pump. Data and rates for millions of vehicles per mileage would have to be collected. Some states have experimented with radio transponders, while others have experimented with devices that connect to vehicles and send data to transportation departments. Skeptics have raised concerns about tracking residents ’locations. And it’s not clear that this system would raise more money than it costs.
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