When Policies and Reality Collide...

Electrification of the grid and policies for taxation reflect struggles & inconsistencies...

Welcome back… we hope your Thanksgiving was a special time with family and friends!

This week we talk with Senator Mark Meek on our podcast. This is the opening segment as last week we played part 2. That episode talked of new information we saw, ODOT unveiling a westside toll plan.

Meanwhile, ODOT has released the following information:

“The Regional Mobility Pricing Project recently wrapped up a survey asking for feedback on all-lane tolling options, including All-User Tolling and Zone Tolling. Both options”

This survey did not include the option to say no to tolling but rather which program do you approve of or like.

In our articles, we give you the Highway Cost Allocation Study (HCAS) to ponder as well as a story from Forbes about grid electrification, and the movement to EV’s, Yes, it does relate to tolling as the big environmental push continues.

In Short

Article 1 - The Highway Cost Allocation Study is detailed and an interesting read. This is the study pointing out the discrepancies in what type of vehicle pays what amount of money for road maintenance.

In other words, how hard is a vehicle on the road and what should its user pay for using that vehicle. Most of us are paying 70% of our share and truckers are 130%.

Article 2 - Forbes’ article, on electrification of the grid, highlights many moving pieces. It is a clear example of how policies can drive, or disrupt the growth of an industry. Trying to build it too fast can lead to catastrophic results or, at best, an incomplete system that is ineffective.

Weekly Articles

The Highway Cost Allocation Study

Electrification of the grid is a drama currently being played out...