OLYMPIA, Wash. — After more than a dozen years of studies, a state lawmaker said it’s time for Washington drivers to start paying for every mile they drive.
Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, said Wednesday he is going to propose allowing electric vehicle owners to volunteer to enroll in a road usage charge system.
Fey said it would the first step towards transitioning away from a gas tax.
For more than 100 years, Washington state has relied on a gas tax to pay for road projects.
But as cars get more fuel efficient, and more drivers buy electric or hybrid vehicles, that funding source is not making what it was projected to make, said Fey.
”It’s unmistakable, with the last revenue forecast that the inevitable is starting to happen, which is that the revenues are suffering,” Fey told members of the House and Senate Transportation Committee Wednesday morning.
He said his proposal, which will be submitted to the legislature in January, would allow volunteers to avoid having to pay some fees charged to EV drivers.
Fey said details are still being worked out, but said hybrid drivers could also volunteer under a program that would eventually become mandatory for all car owners in the state.
Fey said he knows the proposal will raise concerns over costs, privacy, and those who drive out of state.
Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Thurston County, the ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee, said his party doesn’t oppose the idea, but would have questions before anything is implemented.
”People are afraid that we're going to have both the gas tax in place and this new road usage charge. So you know how that pans out over time that will be, I think the crux of the conversation,” said Barkis.
Fey said it is his intention to have the road usage charge replace the gas tax.
If users paid both in the early stages, the state would offer refunds, said Fey.
Four states — Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Virginia — have road usage charges in place for EV or hybrid drivers.