What are we going to do about the gas tax?
Electric vehicle charging point
Hey there,
Vermont and the nation are at a crucial moment in time- we are working to electrify our vehicle fleet while also seeing more efficient gas-powered vehicles become the primary method of travel. As we work on carbon emissions reduction in our transportation sector and see the fruit of decades of emissions standards legislation in our fleets, we have created a problem. The problem is our revenue source that funds our roads and bridges in Vermont is through the gas tax.
As this revenue stagnates and declines now and in greater ways, in the next few years we need to go in with eyes wide open to figure out how to properly fund our state’s transportation infrastructure.
I see this as a problem, yes, but even more so an opportunity to re-envision a more equitable and environmentally conscious revenue source for future generations.
If you are looking for some reading on the topic, here is a recent article I was featured in on the topic.
If you are looking to do more in-depth research also check out these two resources that were shared with me from the Regulatory Assistance Project (R.A.P.) which is a nonpartisan outfit that serves elected officials and the administration to help make informed decisions.
A short paper David Farnsworth from R.A.P. wrote several years back on the topic. It is called, Revisiting the Gas Tax, and has some useful information and options for VT that both support EV adoption and can be applied fairly.
Funding Roadway Infrastructure in an Electrified World, an hour-long webinar presentation by Mark LeBel, Karen Glitman and Jim Lazar.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I’m very interested in hearing from constituents on this topic. Please email or call me with your thoughts!
Best,
Becca