- Governor Gretchen Whitmer proposes a $7.8 million road usage charge pilot in Michigan to test charging drivers by the mile as a potential replacement for the gas tax.
- The revenue from the per-mile charge would fund road repairs and infrastructure improvements in Michigan.
- Some residents, like Jerry Norris, are concerned that the new charge could disproportionately affect lower-income individuals and discourage electric vehicle adoption.
- EV driver Derek Braswell supports the idea, seeing it as a way to fund highways and contribute to electrifying the roads.
- Lawmakers in Michigan would need to finalize the details of the pilot, including how to track miles and implement the charge.
Different neighbors drive different distances to get places.
"I'm only driving maybe 10 to 15 miles," Jerry Norris said.
"When I'm traveling, I can go anywhere from 300 to 400 miles," Derek Braswell said.
But those mileage differences could end up coming at a cost to neighbors in the future.
"What we need in Michigan is a pilot project. We need a pilot project to see what our residents think," County Road Association of Michigan CEO Denise Donohue said.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer is once again proposing a road usage charge pilot.
The $7.8 million project would test whether charging drivers by the mile could be a possible replacement for the current gas tax.
The money from the per-mile charge would go toward fixing Michigan's roads.
"What it's doing is restoring the link between the usage of roads, the miles we drive, and what we do pay to support the roads," Donohue said.
And Michigan is not the only one.
"All but 10 states are moving in this direction," Donohue said.
In California, a state with 39 million people, they charge drivers 19 dollars every 1,000 miles and ask them to track miles by odometer or smartphone app.
In Washington state, they charge drivers 25 dollars for every 1,000 miles by odometer reading.
"I think that it is probably fair," Norris said.
But Jerry Norris is concerned that this could harm people who earn less money or discourage people from getting electric vehicles.
"Then I think that I have to put on my other concern, which is, does this disincentive going toward electric vehicles?" Norris said.
Right now, the less gas people buy, the less they pay in gas taxes at the pump.
However, there are additional registration fees for electric and hybrid vehicles.
But EV driver Derek Braswell supports the idea for change.
"I think it's a fantastic idea," Braswell said.
He tells me he is willing to pay his part in driving on the roads.
"Plus, EVs are a little heavier than passenger cars, so they add to the corrosion and the stuff going on the roads," Braswell said.
State lawmakers have to finalize the details of the pilot, including the charge, how to track it, and how to put it in place.
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