All these electric cars are causing trouble in building roads

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Last week, Washington Governor Jay Inslee ran for president two years ago when he proposed to ban the sale of gasoline-powered cars nationwide by 2030, but he vetoed a nationwide ban on gasoline-powered cars by 2030 Sales of cars.

Insley said in a statement that the reason for the puzzling move was a clause incorporated into the legislation. The language says that only if lawmakers develop a plan to charge drivers based on the distance they travel each year can the 2030 target be achieved.

The bill is hailed as a breakthrough in electric vehicles and U.S. climate policy, and is more aggressive than deadlines in states such as the U.S. California, Massachusetts, with new York, Their eyes are set on 2035. Washington plans to follow California’s regulations and phase out sales of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.

But there is an obstacle in these plans: the country uses gasoline taxes to fund the construction and maintenance of everything from roads and bridges to buses and ferries.same electric car-include Ford F-150 LightningSales will start next year-after being on the road, natural gas sales will be reduced and taxes will also be reduced.

Matthew Metz, founder and co-executive director of Coltura, a Seattle environmental organization, said he was surprised and disappointed because Inslee had missed the opportunity to set the earliest zero-emission sales deadline in the United States. He said that even if there is an additional tax per mile plan, signing the law can avoid future concerns about paying for the state’s infrastructure. The lawmakers “can continue to solve this problem, but eventually they will have to stop,” Metz said.

In the United States, state and federal motor vehicle fuel taxes account for more than 40% of transportation funds, which is the largest source of income.but Since 1993, the federal government has never raised gasoline taxes, Was set at 18.4 cents per gallon. Since 2008, Congress has allocated funds from other places, but this situation is unsustainable: the Congressional Budget Office stated that if the federal government’s transportation funding cannot be changed by 2030, Will exceed the budget by US$188 billion. Since 2010, at least 36 states have increased fuel taxes to increase revenue.

At the same time, cars are more fuel-efficient-a small but growing number of American cars don’t use gasoline at all.Automakers promise to spend the next ten years Launch of battery-powered models. (Does anyone want an electric version of the Ford F-150 pickup truck to be the best seller in the United States? You can buy one in 2022)

This transition is important to the planet. 29% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector, of which nearly 60% come from light vehicles. Many believe that electrifying the country’s transportation system must be a key element of any climate change plan.

By setting ambitious electrification goals, “the lawmakers are realizing, yes, you are achieving this environmental goal,” said Douglas Shinkle, who was in charge of transportation planning at the meeting of the US National Legislature. “But at the same time, you are having a negative impact on the systems that those vehicles drive.”

This is why decision makers like Washington State are interested in this Road usage fee. In theory, this policy is simple: drivers don’t have to pay a tax for every gallon of gasoline they use, but they should pay a tax for every mile they drive. US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (Pete Buttigieg) Approved this idea in March, But not included in President Biden’s infrastructure proposal. Also in March, the Federal Highway Administration announced that it would fund eight state and district-level road user toll pilot programs. Shinkle said that at least 13 states have enacted laws regarding road user charges.

However, states that have tried and even implemented road user charges (including clubs in California, Hawaii, Minnesota, Oregon, Utah, and Virginia) have encountered many thorny problems. It is easy and cheap to levy a gasoline tax. The driver pays the pump. However, charging per mile will require collecting data and fees from millions of cars. Some states have experimented with radio transponders, while others have experimented with devices that can plug into vehicles and send data to the transportation department. Skeptics raised concerns about tracking the location of residents. It is not clear whether such a system can raise more than its cost.

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