Representative Fey Releases New Revenue Transportation Package - Updated with details
by Chris Herman
Senior Director of Trade & Transportation
Representative Jake Fey released a new revenue transportation package on Tuesday, January 19th. This follows over three months of work and nearly one hundred 90-minute listening sessions he conducted with five other House Transportation Committee members, listening to infrastructure owners and other stakeholders across Washington. You can watch it here: https://www.tvw.org/watch/?eventID=2021011256
“WPPA staff and membership participated in many sessions with Representative Fey and other legislators. We appreciate the extraordinary efforts demonstrated listening to our challenges, needs, and concerns.”
The proposal would raise $26 billion over 16 years and make substantial ($6 billion) investments in maintenance and preservation to our state’s road network. Over two dozen different fees and taxes would be increased but the bulk of the revenue comes from an increase in the state’s gas tax ($.18 cent increase over two years) and the introduction of a carbon fee (starts at $15/ton in 2023 and increases to $25/ton over six years).
In addition to the increase in spending on maintenance and preservation, the proposal fully funds the state’s fish passage culvert obligation ($3.5 million), provides a substantial down payment on renewing the state’s fleet of ferry vessels and allocates over $3 billion on carbon reduction strategies. The only new project listed in the plan is replacement of the I-5 Columbia River bridge, although the package does have more money for additional projects to be included later. The balance sheet for revenues as well as the draft spending plan can be found here http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/Budget/Detail/2021/htRevenueAndSpendingFramework1_19.pdf
While we don’t anticipate an actual bill release for a few more weeks, WPPA will review the proposal, ask questions and will take comment and feedback from our members as we prepare a position on this important proposal.
You can still attend one of three briefing times scheduled to help you access the most up-to-date information about this transportation package. Use the link below to sign up for the session.
Thursday, 1/21 from 5:45 to 7:15pm
Register in advance for this meeting: https://leg-wa-gov.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcvdO6qqT4oG9x8TXGGOZiDN8EwnvJ0lS2b