Does no one care about a proposed 12-cent gas tax?
Feb 19, 2015, 9:03 AM | Updated: 1:23 pm
At the first hearing on the $15 billion transportation package, not one person testifying in Olympia brought it up Wednesday night. (AP)
(AP)
It seems there is little opposition to a nearly 12-cent gas tax increase to fund transportation in Washington. At the first hearing on the $15 billion package Wednesday night, not one person testifying mentioned the increase.
Testimony consisted of mayor after mayor from around the state, and other elected officials praising the Senate for tackling transportation issues. Environmental groups discussed some of the language included in the bill.
Related: Senate leaders unveil $15B transportation proposal
They all seemed fine with raising the gas tax five cents in July, 4.2 cents next year, and 2.5 cents in 2017. There was little or no mention of raising car tab fees or other funding sources to pay for the package.
Most of the discussion centered on what environmental activists called the ‘poison pill’ included in the bill. If Governor Inslee goes forward with his low-carbon fuel standards, the ‘poison pill’ would shift money for transit and pedestrian and bike projects back to roads.
Charles Knutson, the governor’s transportation adviser, said, “The governor is concerned about the connection to the clean fuel in this revenue bill.”
“I urge you to remove those and pass a clean, straight-forward transportation package,” King County Executive Dow Constantine told the Senate.
After years of haggling over a potential gas tax increase, it appears this funding package could get tripped-up by a philosophical debate over carbon standards and questions over climate change.
