U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) introduced legislation Wednesday to establish a user fee for electric and plug-in hybrid cars to fund the Highway Trust Fund.
The Using Sustainable Energy Resources to Fund Equitable e-Transportation (USER FEE) Act would assess the vehicle miles traveled by e-vehicles and hybrids as a way to ensure those vehicles pay for the roads they drive on, the congressman said.
“Our nation’s crumbling roads and highways need investment to support maintenance of critical highway and road infrastructure. Yet electronic vehicles, which are a growing share of cars on the road, contribute nothing to their upkeep,” Smucker said. “Congress needs to address the long-term solvency issues of the Highway Trust Fund by ensuring parity with the gas-powered vehicles.”
The USER FEE Act would establish a user fee of two cents per mile traveled for electric vehicles and one cent per mile traveled for plug-in vehicles. Further, the legislation directs the U.S. Department of Treasury to work with states to establish agreements to administer those fees.
“Funding for infrastructure projects, particularly highways and roads, have been user-fee driven for years, and it is time for Congress to act to provide funding equity by ensuring electric vehicles are paying their fair share and contributing to the maintenance of the roads they drive on,” Smucker said. “Maintaining the status quo has become too expensive. We cannot continue to transfer hundreds of billions of dollars from the Treasury to the Highway Trust Fund. Kicking the can down the road means higher deficits and greater interest payments on the debt, which crowds out funding for other important programs.”