Yeah, like that's gonna happen................
Posted on 03/19/2021 5:25:41 AM PDT by Red Badger
Bruce Starr spotted the problem right away: The hydrogen-powered cars General Motors was showing off on the Oregon Capitol grounds wouldn’t need gas. And if they didn’t need gas, drivers wouldn’t be paying gas taxes that fund the state’s roads.
It was 2001, and the problem seemed urgent. GM predicted the cars would be on the market in a few years. Starr, then a Republican state representative, created a task force to figure out the future of transportation funding.
“There’s no asphalt fairy out there that sprinkles asphalt in the night on our roadways,” he said recently.
Widespread production of hydrogen-powered cars has not come to pass, but GM is eyeing an all-electric fleet by 2035 with the backing of the Biden administration. That has lawmakers in state capitals across the country and in Washington increasingly confronting the question that troubled Starr two decades ago.
Many have settled on an answer: charging drivers a penny or two for each mile behind the wheel. But while such a system would bring in tax dollars for roads, it also would present a new set of obstacles.
States are leading the way, with Oregon and Utah launching the first programs and several others running pilots to test technology and build public support. The approach has bipartisan support in Washington, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has signaled his openness.
But existing programs operate on a small scale, and a national system would mean tracking millions of vehicles. Supporters are pushing for the quick adoption of proposals to maintain funding of the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, while opponents, including environmental advocates, argue the shift is premature at a time when electric vehicles are a fraction of cars on the road. New fees also would slow their adoption, they say.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
But it could be done thru auto and truck tags or tire sales.........................
They could cease raiding the highway funds for welfare and special products.
Yeah, like that's gonna happen................
He should check San Francisco. They have all kinds of fairies there.
I’m seriously thinking of getting a horse.
I am no physicist, but was under the impression that it takes more energy to split hydrogen off of a molecule than you can gain from it as a a fuel.
Yes, many many times.
Next, they'll dictate how many miles you are "allowed" to drive.
And of course, the miles that you do or do not drive will all factor into your social credit score.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has signaled his openness.
Which orifice?
Here in NC they read your OBD2 data when you get the yearly inspection. One thing they get is the mileage, so the could use that to calculate a tax. But they are going to push for a device that records your movements as well as a ton of other data. They are worried about everything except your privacy.
Oops, had an extra “the” in first sentence.
As to the tax, that is fair IF you do away with fuel taxes.
He’s always there where the rubber meets the........................
Pete is open to taxing you coming and going.
Yes.....................
It ain’t ‘asphalt’ they are putting on the streets...............
as they also do with Social Security
Florida did away with VERY MUCH HATED yearly inspections, way back in the late 70's........... And a DEM Governor did it!................
Maybe road maintenance costs could be lowered if they figured out a way to fill pot holes with ground up, discarded wind turbine blades.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.