9/15/08-A special state panel has been told that an emission fee could be used to pay for transportation work.
An environmental coalition is proposing that motorists be charged a “greenhouse-gas emission fee” on their vehicles. The revenue from the fee would top $500 million annually for road and bridge repairs, as well as transit work, The Denver Post reported.
Appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter, the special panel on transportation finance were told that such a fee could be figured by taking into account miles driven each year and multiplying that amount by the carbon dioxide emissions per mile produced times a dollar-per-ton of emissions set by legislation.
Advocates for the plan say that not only would the money aid roads, bridges and transit, it would also encourage people to travel fewer miles, the use of more fuel-efficient vehicles, and reduce emissions.
Other options to fund transportation that are being considered by the panel include increasing the state’s per-gallon tax on gas and diesel.