Wyoming Road Usage Charge

Oscar the KW · Nov 21, 2020

WildTiger1990 said: ↑

So you want to have 5$ per gallon?
Don't forget that right now more and more people buying electric cars , and paying 0$ for road repairs (cause electricity payments don't go towards road budgets)
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No one wants fuel prices that high. But if you want good roads to drive on they don’t come free.

spindrift · Nov 21, 2020

Aren't taxes on oil and coal revenues supposed to support the highway fund?

kemosabi49 · Nov 21, 2020

Oscar the KW said: ↑

States need to have more accountability of the money that they spend, I don’t think that anyone can argue otherwise.

But people need to also remember that a lot of states have not raised fuel taxes in many years. We all know that nothing ever seems to get cheaper either. So these states are having to try and do all of their repairs and expansions with the same income, while the cost of the work keeps getting more expensive.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not willing to work for the same money year after year while everything else keeps going up.
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And it not just that. Wyoming is seeing their coal revenues dropping like a rock. Cars and trucks are all getting way better fuel mileage, so there is not as much fuel being sold, so less tax money being collected. I'm not saying increased fuel taxes are the answer but something has to be done to stop the deterioration of our infrastructure. The fees that are charged to electric/hybrid cars are a joke and should be raised so they pay the same as they would if they ran on gas/diesel.

Rubber duck kw · Nov 21, 2020

kemosabi49 said: ↑

And it not just that. Wyoming is seeing their coal revenues dropping like a rock. Cars and trucks are all getting way better fuel mileage, so there is not as much fuel being sold, so less tax money being collected. I'm not saying increased fuel taxes are the answer but something has to be done to stop the deterioration of our infrastructure. The fees that are charged to electric/hybrid cars are a joke and should be raised so they pay the same as they would if they ran on gas/diesel.
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I believe the increased fuel mileage eating fuel tax revenues is why you see states raising their speed limits, go faster and burn more fuel but get there sooner so you don't notice.

RockinChair · Nov 22, 2020

Oscar the KW said: ↑

But people need to also remember that a lot of states have not raised fuel taxes in many years.
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If the quality and capacity of roadways was improving rather than declining then they would be justified in raising fuel and other highway taxes accordingly.

mstrchf117 · Nov 23, 2020

The interstates, at least, should be covered by defense spending, given the original point of building them. Personally I say add rail lines too at a minimum. If we're going to spend billions, might as well put some of it on the infrastructure needed to move and support the military.

tscottme · Nov 23, 2020

TheLoadOut said: ↑

WYDOT says it currently faces a $135 million annual budget shortfall and that the poor condition of Wyoming’s roads is having a compounding negative effect on its economy. According to Reiner’s presentation to the committee, 34% of Wyoming’s road are in “poor” or “mediocre” condition.

Those conditions cost the average driver an extra $587 a year in fuel and maintenance and reduces the maximum load weight on commercial trucks, meaning more trucks are needed to carry goods, Reiner said.

“We can’t cut our way out of this,” Reiner added, “Because the infrastructure has to be maintained.” Meanwhile, “capacity and mobility” projects — like increasing the number of lanes on certain highways — are being indefinitely delayed. Reiner said the cost of all projects will only increase with time.

Wyoming’s $0.24/gallon fuel tax is providing “exponentially diminishing returns,” according to Kelli Little, deputy director of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association. A bill to raise the fuel tax by three cents failed introduction to the Wyoming House of Representatives this February.

Little cited a University of Wyoming figure stating that 67-70% of paved county roads were in “poor” condition. Working group member and WYDOT District 7 Deputy Commissioner Phil Schmidt said that, despite Wyoming’s natural beauty, tourists were getting a “sketchy experience” on subpar roads.

He added that WYDOT’s current deficit represented 20% of its budget. To make up this shortfall, WYDOT’s revenues have to increase by 115%.

Meanwhile, Reiner said fuel tax revenues will keep going down as fuel economy increases in vehicles. He cited a study that said that by 2030, half of all vehicles sold would be electric. Reiner expressed some skepticism about that exact prospect, but said: “It’s certainly out there in the literature and in the advancing of the battery technology.”

A RUC is the “best long-term potential” source of income, Reiner said. Ultimately, the average car driver would pay about $20.27 a month to maintain roads, Reiner said, whereas now they pay about $10 a month in fuel tax.

The bill draft presents rates of 2.15 cents per mile for passenger cars and 2.87 cents per mile for pick-up trucks. Commercial trucks would pay 10.32 cents per mile. These rates reflect what WYDOT estimates would make up the shortfall.
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I'd wait until something like this happens. Remember when we were running out of oil or Y2K was going to stop the economy.

Dave_in_AZ · Nov 23, 2020

This was a non issue prior to e logs and automatic transmissions.

kemosabi49 · Nov 23, 2020

mstrchf117 said: ↑

The interstates, at least, should be covered by defense spending, given the original point of building them. Personally I say add rail lines too at a minimum. If we're going to spend billions, might as well put some of it on the infrastructure needed to move and support the military.
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Let the railroads pay to add their own rail lines. They are making money and to start using tax dollars to pay to improve freight railroads ain't gonna get it.

Rubber duck kw · Nov 23, 2020

Maybe the fine residents of Wyoming want their roads to stay mediocre so all the tourists don't decide it'd be a nice place to live.

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