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Comment 23 for Comments on regional targets for SB 375 (sb375-targets-ws) - 1st Workshop.


First Name: Michael
Last Name: Bullock
Email Address: mike_bullock@earthlink.net
Affiliation: TransportationChairSanDiegoSierraClub

Subject: ComprehensiveRoadUseFeesToReduceVMTsWhileStillEncouragingEfficientVehicles
Comment:
CARB needs to work for a more equitable approach to road use
funding. By giving people more choice over how they spend their own
money for transportation, they will choose to drive less. The Chair
of the California Transportation Commission has written that gas
taxes now pay almost nothing towards new construction costs and
only cover about half of road maintenence costs. Pavley 1 and 2 are
mandating that every year less money will go into our gas tax
accounts per mile driven. These facts mean that our state must
reconsider road use pricing. This is crucial if we are to have any
chance against global warming. If we love our grandchildren, it is
time to be brave and tell the truth. The following facts should
help you see your way toward constructive action. 

1.) On July 11, 2009, Sierra Club California passed the following
resolution:

The California Nevada Regional Conservation Committee of the
Sierra Club hereby augments its current support for increasing the
state gas excise tax by supporting a comprehensive road-use fee
pricing system including environmental and health costs. The
pricing system, which could still include a gas tax, must mitigate
impacts on low-income users and protect personal privacy.

2.) On November 14th, 2009, the Environmental Caucus of the
California Democratic Party passed a resolution that contained the
following words:

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the California Democratic Party
supports a state-funded study of a design of a road-use fee pricing
system that (1) would pay for all road-use costs including the
environmental and health costs caused by driving, (2) could still
include a fuel tax or fee, (3) would mitigate impacts on low-income
users and protect privacy, (4) would include congestion pricing
when that technology becomes feasible, (5) would keep the per-mile
price incentive to drive energy-efficient cars at least as large as
it is with today’s fuel excise tax, and (6) could be accompanied by
tax reductions sized to achieve either net-revenue neutrality or
near-net-revenue neutrality.

3.)Skymeter, a Canadian company is designing and installing a
variable and comprehensive road use fee, to replace the gas tax, in
the Netherlands by 2014 and Denmark by 2016. This is estimated to
decrease GHG by 10% in the Netherlands, even though the gas tax
that will be dropped is equivalent to $3.50 per gallon. Skymeter
would be glad to install such a system in California and could get
this done well before 2020.

4.) It should be noted that in all these cases, it will cost a lot
more per mile to drive a Hummer than it will to drive a Prius.

5.) For more detail on what a comprehensive road-use fee pricing
system would look like, I have attached the so called "Reference
Document" that was considered an example and was in fact referenced
in the background material of the July 11th, 2009 "Comprehensive
Road-Use Fee Pricing System" that was passed by Sierra Club
California and is shown in Item 1 above.


Attachment: www.arb.ca.gov/lists/sb375-targets-ws/49-resolutionreferencedocument.doc

Original File Name: ResolutionReferenceDocument.doc

Date and Time Comment Was Submitted: 2010-07-27 18:05:34



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