Electric vehicle owners don't buy gas. States look for other ways to pay for roads and bridges.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The pothole outside Timothy Taylor's home was so deep, he could hear the clunk of cars hitting it from inside his house.
The Portland, Oregon, resident could sympathize with those drivers: He knew to avoid his own neighborhood pothole, but another one damaged his car's suspension to the tune of $1,000.
'Hearing that awful sound of your car bottoming out — it's horrible,' he said.
Oregon transportation officials say that without more funding, residents like Taylor could see further declines in the quality of roads, highways and bridges starting this year. But revenues from gas taxes paid by drivers at the pump are projected to decrease as more people adopt electric and fuel-efficient cars, forcing officials to look for new ways to fund transportation infrastructure.
States with aggressive climate goals like Oregon are facing a conundrum: EVs can help reduce emissions in the transportation sector, the nation's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, but they also mean less gas tax revenue in government coffers.
'We now find ourselves right now in a position where we want to address fuel use and drive down reliance on gases and internal combustion engines. But we need the funds to operate our roads that EVs need to use as well,' said Carra Sahler, director of the Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School. Gas tax revenue is set to fall
Motor fuel taxes are the largest source of transportation revenue for states, according to the National Association of Budget Officers' most recent report on state expenditures . But the money they bring in has fallen: Gas taxes raised 41% of transportation revenue in fiscal year 2016, compared with roughly 36% in fiscal year 2024, the group found.
In California, where zero-emission vehicles accounted for about a quarter of all car sales last year, legislative analysts predict gas tax collections will decrease by $5 billion — or 64% — by 2035, in a scenario where the state successfully meets its climate goals. California and Oregon are among the multiple states that will require all new passenger cars sold to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035.
The downward revenue trend is already playing out in Pennsylvania, where gas tax revenues dropped an estimated $250 million last year compared with 2019, according to the state's independent fiscal office .
Inflation has also driven up the cost of transportation materials, further exacerbating budget concerns. What is going on in Oregon?
The Oregon Department of Transportation — citing inflation, projections of declining gas tax revenues and certain spending limitations — has estimated a budget shortfall topping $350 million for the next budget cycle.
That could mean cuts to winter snow plowing and the striping and paving of roads, as well as layoffs of as many as 1,000 transportation employees.
Republican lawmakers say the gas tax revenue issue has been compounded by the department mismanaging its money. An audit released in January found the department overestimated its revenue for the current budget cycle by over $1 billion and failed to properly track certain funds.
'It really is about making sure that the existing dollars that are being spent by the department are being spent efficiently and effectively,' said state Sen. Bruce Starr, GOP co-vice chair of the joint transportation committee. How states are boosting transportation funding
To make up for lost revenue, 34 states have raised their gas tax since 2013, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. California has the highest gas tax at over 69 cents a gallon when including other taxes and fees, while Alaska has the lowest at 9 cents a gallon, according to figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In Oregon — which in 1919 became the first state to implement a gas tax — it is 40 cents a gallon.
The federal gas tax of 18 cents a gallon, which isn't adjusted for inflation, hasn't been raised in over three decades.
In Oregon, where there is no sales tax and tolling has met fierce opposition , lawmakers are debating next steps.
Other states have taken steps ranging from indexing their gas tax to inflation, to raising registration fees for EVs, to taxing EV charging stations.
To bolster transportation dollars, some have reorganized their budgets: In Michigan, where Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was first elected using the slogan 'Fix the Damn Roads,' some revenues from marijuana taxes and personal income taxes now go toward transportation. In Connecticut, the sales tax now brings in more money for its special transportation fund than gas tax revenues, a 2024 fiscal report shows.
Another concept that could provide a long-term solution is a so-called road user charge . Under such a system, drivers pay a fee based on the distance they travel.
In 2023, Hawaii established a road usage charge program for EV drivers that will phase in starting this July. In 2028, all EV drivers will be automatically enrolled, with odometers read at annual vehicle inspections.
Three other states — Oregon, Utah and Virginia — have voluntary road usage fee programs. Drivers can opt to use GPS tools to track and report their mileage.
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Boston Globe
11 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Trump's federal law-enforcement crackdown ripples through D.C. neighborhoods
Advertisement The White House has credited Trump's crackdown with hundreds of arrests, while local officials have criticized the aggressive intervention in the city's affairs. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The confrontation escalated on Tuesday as the top federal prosecutor in D.C. opened an investigation into whether police officials have falsified crime data, according to a person familiar with the situation who wasn't authorized to comment publicly. The probe could be used to bolster Trump's claims that the city is suffering from a 'crime emergency' despite statistics showing improvements. The mayor's office and the police department declined to comment. Stops are visible across the city Blocks away from where Yahyaoui had set up shop, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local police stopped a moped driver delivering pizza. The agents drove unmarked cars and wore tactical vests; one covered his face with a green balaclava. They questioned the driver and required him to present documentation relating to his employment and legal residency status. No arrest was made. Advertisement The White House said there have been 450 arrests since Aug. 7, when the federal operation began. The Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement and the president signed an executive order on Aug. 11 to put the police department under federal control for 30 days; extending that would require congressional approval. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Trump was 'unapologetically standing up for the safety of law-abiding American citizens.' Bystanders have captured some of the arrests on video. On Saturday morning, Christian Enrique Carias Torres was detained during a scuffle with ICE agents, and the footage ricocheted around social media. An FBI agent's affidavit said Carias Torres kicked one of the agents in the leg and another was injured when he fell during the struggle and struck his head on the pavement. A stun gun was used to subdue Carias Torres, who was charged Tuesday with resisting arrest. An alphabet soup of federal agencies have been circulating in the city. In the Petworth neighborhood, roughly 20 officers from the FBI, Homeland Security, Park Police and U.S. Marshals descended on an apartment building on Tuesday morning. A man extended his hands out a window while officers cuffed him. Yanna Stelle, 19, who witnessed the incident, said she heard the chatter from walkie talkies as officers moved through the hallways. 'That was too many police first thing in the morning — especially for them to just be doing a warrant," she said. More National Guard troops from other states are slated to arrive From his actions and remarks, Trump seems interested in ratcheting up the pressure. His administration has asked Republican-led states to send more National Guard troops. Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio have agreed to deploy a total of 1,100 troops to the city, on top of the 800 from the D.C.-based National Guard. Advertisement Resistance to that notion is starting to surface, both on the streets and in Congress. On Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Sam Liccardo of California introduced a bill that would require a report outlining the cost of any National Guard deployment unrelated to a natural disaster, as well as its legal basis. It would also require reporting on any Guard interactions with civilians and other aspects of the operation. Forty four Democrats have signed on in support, including Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington's non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives. While the measure stands little chance of passing while Republicans control the chamber, it's a sign of a wider Democratic response to Trump's unprecedented moves in Washington. 'Are L.A. and D.C. a test run for a broader authoritarian takeover of local communities?' Liccardo asked. He added that the country's founders were suspicious of 'executive control of standing armies.' Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said that 'Democrats continue to side with criminals over law abiding Americans.' What kind of assistance will be offered? It's unclear what kind of help the National Guard will be able to provide when it comes to crime. 'The fact of the matter is that the National Guard are not law-enforcement trained, and they're not going into places where they would be engaged in law enforcement activity,' said Jeff Asher, a crime analyst and consultant at AH Datalytics. 'So I don't know that it's fair to expect much of it.' Advertisement Trump declared in a social media post that his initiative has transformed Washington from 'the most unsafe 'city' in the United States' to 'perhaps the safest, and getting better every single hour!' The number of crimes reported in D.C. did drop by about 8% this week as compared to the week before, according to Metropolitan Police data. There was some variation within that data, with crimes like robberies and car thefts declining while burglaries increased a bit and homicides remained. Still, a week is a small sample size — far from enough time for data to show meaningful shifts, Asher said. Referring to the month-long period that D.C.'s home rule law allows the president to exert control over the police department, he said: 'I think 30 days is too short of a period to really say anything.' Associated Press writers Michael Kunzelman, Alanna Durkin Richer, Jacquelyn Martin and Ashraf Khalil contributed to this report.
San Francisco Chronicle
11 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump's federal law-enforcement crackdown ripples through DC neighborhoods
WASHINGTON (AP) — The main drag in Washington's Columbia Heights neighborhood is typically crammed with people peddling pupusas, fresh fruit, souvenirs and clothing. On Tuesday, though, things felt different: The white tents that bulge with food and merchandise were scarcer than usual. 'Everything has stopped over the last week,' said Yassin Yahyaoui, who sells jewelry and glass figurines. Most of his customers and fellow vendors, he said, have 'just disappeared' — particularly if they speak Spanish. The abnormally quiet street was one of many pieces of evidence showing how President Donald Trump 's decision to flood the nation's capital with federal law enforcement and immigration agents has rippled through the city. While troop deployments and foot patrols in downtown areas and around the National Mall have gotten the most attention, life in historically diverse neighborhoods like Columbia Heights is being reshaped as well. The White House has credited Trump's crackdown with hundreds of arrests, while local officials have criticized the aggressive intervention in the city's affairs. The confrontation escalated on Tuesday as the top federal prosecutor in D.C. opened an investigation into whether police officials have falsified crime data, according to a person familiar with the situation who wasn't authorized to comment publicly. The probe could be used to bolster Trump's claims that the city is suffering from a 'crime emergency' despite statistics showing improvements. The mayor's office and the police department declined to comment. Stops are visible across the city Blocks away from where Yahyaoui had set up shop, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local police stopped a moped driver delivering pizza. The agents drove unmarked cars and wore tactical vests; one covered his face with a green balaclava. They questioned the driver and required him to present documentation relating to his employment and legal residency status. No arrest was made. The White House said there have been 450 arrests since Aug. 7, when the federal operation began. The Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement and the president signed an executive order on Aug. 11 to put the police department under federal control for 30 days; extending that would require congressional approval. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Trump was 'unapologetically standing up for the safety of law-abiding American citizens.' Bystanders have captured some of the arrests on video. On Saturday morning, Christian Enrique Carias Torres was detained during a scuffle with ICE agents, and the footage ricocheted around social media. An FBI agent's affidavit said Carias Torres kicked one of the agents in the leg and another was injured when he fell during the struggle and struck his head on the pavement. A stun gun was used to subdue Carias Torres, who was charged Tuesday with resisting arrest. An alphabet soup of federal agencies have been circulating in the city. In the Petworth neighborhood, roughly 20 officers from the FBI, Homeland Security, Park Police and U.S. Marshals descended on an apartment building on Tuesday morning. A man extended his hands out a window while officers cuffed him. Yanna Stelle, 19, who witnessed the incident, said she heard the chatter from walkie talkies as officers moved through the hallways. 'That was too many police first thing in the morning — especially for them to just be doing a warrant," she said. More National Guard troops from other states are slated to arrive From his actions and remarks, Trump seems interested in ratcheting up the pressure. His administration has asked Republican-led states to send more National Guard troops. Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio have agreed to deploy a total of 1,100 troops to the city, on top of the 800 from the D.C.-based National Guard. Resistance to that notion is starting to surface, both on the streets and in Congress. On Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Sam Liccardo of California introduced a bill that would require a report outlining the cost of any National Guard deployment unrelated to a natural disaster, as well as its legal basis. It would also require reporting on any Guard interactions with civilians and other aspects of the operation. Forty four Democrats have signed on in support, including Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington's non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives. While the measure stands little chance of passing while Republicans control the chamber, it's a sign of a wider Democratic response to Trump's unprecedented moves in Washington. 'Are L.A. and D.C. a test run for a broader authoritarian takeover of local communities?" Liccardo asked. He added that the country's founders were suspicious of "executive control of standing armies.' Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said that 'Democrats continue to side with criminals over law abiding Americans." What kind of assistance will be offered? It's unclear what kind of help the National Guard will be able to provide when it comes to crime. 'The fact of the matter is that the National Guard are not law-enforcement trained, and they're not going into places where they would be engaged in law enforcement activity," said Jeff Asher, a crime analyst and consultant at AH Datalytics. 'So I don't know that it's fair to expect much of it.' Trump declared in a social media post that his initiative has transformed Washington from 'the most unsafe 'city' in the United States' to 'perhaps the safest, and getting better every single hour!' The number of crimes reported in D.C. did drop by about 8% this week as compared to the week before, according to Metropolitan Police data. There was some variation within that data, with crimes like robberies and car thefts declining while burglaries increased a bit and homicides remained. Still, a week is a small sample size — far from enough time for data to show meaningful shifts, Asher said. Referring to the month-long period that D.C.'s home rule law allows the president to exert control over the police department, he said: 'I think 30 days is too short of a period to really say anything." ___
Buzz Feed
11 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
DC Residents React To National Guard Mobilization As Crime Rate Falls
DC has been stretched thin this year, first staring down a potential $1.1 billion cut to its local budget — which Congress ultimately reversed with the backing of both city leaders and President Trump — and then absorbing a very real $20 million slash in federal security funding, a 44% cut in FEMA's urban grant program. Now, Trump has signed an executive order to place the city under a federally controlled "Safe and Beautiful Task Force," raising fresh questions about federal overreach into local governance. On August 11, he invoked the District's unique federal status to seize control of the Metropolitan Police Department and mobilize 800 National Guard troops — a force that has since swelled past 1,500 with reinforcements from Republican-led states like Ohio, South Carolina, and West Virginia. While Trump framed the decision as a response to "totally out of control" crime, the numbers tell a different story: violent crime in DC is actually at a 30-year low. Legally, the maneuver lives in a gray space. Unlike in states, where governors control the National Guard, DC's lack of statehood allows the president to deploy local troops with little resistance, citing "emergency" powers that can last up to 30 days unless extended by Congress. Critics warn that conflating routine urban challenges like crime, homelessness, and public safety with a so-called "emergency" risks not only mischaracterizing the District's needs, but also normalizing the use of military or federal force against civilians — a violation of the 19th-century Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the military from acting as domestic police unless explicitly authorized by Congress. For DC locals, the reaction has been swift and visceral. Residents point out that Trump has simultaneously undercut the city's budget, ignored its actual needs, and now parachuted in soldiers to patrol some of its wealthiest neighborhoods. To many, it looks less like a crime crackdown and more like a test run to normalize military presence in a liberal stronghold — laying the groundwork for heavier crackdowns on dissent down the line. Here's what people in the District are saying: "If he cared about violence in the city, he wouldn't have signed off on a cut to our budget. The only thing he cares about is control." "It feels like trying to put a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. You can't gut funding for the stuff that actually prevents violence, and then act shocked when things get worse. Short-term control isn't the same as long-term safety. I'm curious as to what people think would make the biggest difference here, because it sure isn't just more boots on the ground." "The thing is, crime is WAY down in DC. This isn't about crime. It's a test run and a way to set a precedent to get people used to the idea. So when the social uproar over Trump's policies finally reaches a boiling point, he can say, 'Look, we've done it before. It's totally legal.' It's a precursor to putting down the inevitable dissent that will come once his policies finally start working their way through everyday life." "DC native here. He must have a lot of pages in the Epstein files to be making this much noise. Every time that pig opens his mouth, I want to scream, especially when he's got my city in it." "Your question is flawed because this isn't to address violence — violence is at a 30-year low. Sending in federal troops for law enforcement is also explicitly illegal for the president to do." "If it's anything like LA, they'll stand around doing nothing, stay at hotels that will draw protests, or sleep on the floor somewhere. They'll also do one or two 'crackdowns' in a safe area where they won't get pushback and can create a performative soundbite, and a 'crackdown' that's completely unorganized and wastes everyone's time and money. Then, they'll eventually leave because they are ineffective and Trump has moved on to something else." "The idea is to start normalizing the notion of using the military to do police work. One day, it's completely unheard of and taboo to send the military to detain civilians. Before you know it, it's just another Wednesday. It's the boiling frog analogy. To put it into perspective, think of how normal Trump's first term seems compared to his current term. Remember how the big controversy then was whether Trump was racist or not? The Charlottesville and George Floyd stuff? Now, we're having conversations about how fascist is he, and whether he'll leave office, rig elections for one-party GOP rule, use military force to occupy Democratic cities, start arresting Democratic politicians just because, his tariffs will cause a depression, he's done long-term damage to our relationships with international partners, the dollar will remain the world reserve currency, the US will be in another war by the end of his term, etc." "Lots of them standing around doing nothing so far." "By the way, sending the army into domestic cities was also illegal in ancient Rome. When Caesar sent the army over the Rubicon River (the phrase 'Cross the Rubicon'), across the border into the city, it was basically the end of Roman democracy and the beginning of the Roman Empire." "The last time there was 'mass violence' on the streets of DC was January 6, 2021." "I don't think this is just a distraction. It's also a distraction, but he always intended to put troops in the street. Next year, it will be the Gestapo." "So far, the shit I've seen is mostly from the video of some wealthy preppy-looking dude slapping a cop with a sub sandwich and leisurely running away." "My take is that it's not to address violence but the unhoused population. It's disgusting. My understanding is that Trump plans to federalize the Metropolitan PD, too. The 'sweeping' of the unhoused population started happening more drastically a few months ago." "The National Guard has little to no training on how to deal with homelessness, mental illnesses, addiction, and poverty. That's not what they know, have been trained for, or have any experience in doing. It's a big mistake on so many levels in terms of the public and use of federal workers." "It's not a mistake. My $5 says it's intentional. They send in soldiers who don't have training to deal with the perceived problem in any way other than how soldiers are trained to act — aggressively. The goal is to provoke incidents of retaliatory violence against the soldiers in order to justify full military lockdown of the city and/or mass incarcerations of protesters, the unhoused, dissenting politicians, and media, etc." "It's easy. It's a loyalty test to see just how Gestapo the National Guard can get before there is dissent. The DC Home Rule Act, Section 740, which he is using to mobilize the National Guard and federalize the police force, allows for this action during a declared federal emergency in DC for up to 48 hours, unless Congress votes to extend it, with a maximum limit of 30 days." "I've run a community cleanup organization in the District since 2021 — more on that in a minute. Every month, we hold a cleanup somewhere in the District in a new location. It moves from neighborhood to neighborhood. We go to ALL of the neighborhoods. I'd offer that I've spent more time in every rough part of DC than anyone involved in making this decision has. I started my organization after an impromptu cleanup of the National Mall area in front of the Capitol building on January 9, 2021, in response to what happened three days prior. It wasn't overtly a political thing — I was just tired of my city being littered by a bunch of clowns who see it as a stage for their nonsense. Since then, we've had dozens of cleanups with thousands of volunteers. We know what it looks like when the trash comes into town. And, like always, we'll be here when it's time to take out the trash. Bet on it." "No one wants it. DC has problems, but they're just normal for a city. Crime is at a 30-year low. They're just testing out fascism. Also, Trump doesn't like the city because the city actively doesn't like him. He's a petty man who enjoys making people suffer if he feels they didn't compliment the size of his hands enough." "Federal troops going to hot zones isn't new. But this isn't a hot zone. There aren't riots in the streets. Violence in DC is at a 30-year low. This is just federal agents arresting unhoused people for being unhoused. I also feel obligated to mention that people experiencing homelessness is a macro problem with micro solutions. Soup kitchens aren't going to 'solve' it. We would be far better off reforming our healthcare industry if that is our real goal (the majority of people experiencing homelessness are doing so because of medical debt). That doesn't mean that soup kitchens are wrong — just that their goal is different from solving the main problem. Arresting people experiencing homelessness also does not 'solve' it. It costs $150k per year to jail someone. It would be cheaper for us to buy every person experiencing homelessness a house than it would be to arrest them all (moral arguments aside)." "Per my buddy in DC this morning: Unhoused encampments ARE a real problem. We need to get these people with mental illness off the streets because they do create real issues for residents. But that should be done by giving resources to existing DC agencies, not by using federal troops. This is just a pretext for martial law." "They're out patrolling the safest, whitest, and richest neighborhoods in DC. The Wharf, DuPont Circle, Navy Yard — all the most gentrified places in the city. One thousand bucks says they never go east of the river. It's a joke and a distraction from the Epstein List." "It's nonsense and performative. It is NOT dangerous here, and Trump has never cared about law and order. That being said, Trump is good at parroting things that he knows a fringe group of people — some of whom don't even live here — believe. It also aligns with his talking points that all big liberal cities are shitholes. The reality is that he knows DC didn't and would never elect somebody like him." "It's too soon to say. I'm out around town this evening, and it's oddly quiet. There are fewer police than usual. Only local cops were protecting a small anti-Trump protest. Maybe this is the calm before the storm? I'm used to seeing cops all over since I live in the Navy Yard near a lot of congresspeople. Summer 2020 seemed much more severe with Humvees on Pennsylvania Avenue. It's insulting altogether, given the fact that he refused to put down January 6. I witnessed it, and it was truly astonishing. Most people don't realize that Trump didn't do anything — the military came in under Pence's orders. If it wasn't for Pence, things would have been far worse that day." In the end, whether you see Trump's move as a necessary intervention or an alarming overreach, it raises a deeper question: what precedent will this set for the future of federal authority in American cities? So, what do you think — is this a legitimate response to crime, or a dangerous expansion of federal control? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
