Tuesday, December 18, 2012

That's the way, Patriot. Let the OPECs keep their Gasoline

The Governor came out with his big energy plan a few days ago.

The low-energy cover
There's not as much on transportation and bikes as you might have wished.

From the report:
The state will advance an investment package that includes increased funding for local roads and bridges that incorporate multi-model design elements, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, transit operations and capital, freight and passenger rail improvements, as well as marine and air....

In addition, as federal fuel efficiency standards increase, low- and zero-emission vehicles hit the road and fuel use decreases. This trend challenges a transportation system funded by gas taxes that are restricted to road and automobile-based investments. To address this revenue challenge, the state will develop alternative transportation funding strategies that will provide stable and flexible funding to help the state achieve our energy and emission reduction goals.
So he has a couple of action items:
Action Item: The legislature should consider the use of a Road User Fee for highly efficient vehicles (55 mpg or greater) in lieu of a gas tax.

ODOT's Innovate Partnership Section should work with stakeholders to consider a demonstration of an alternative revenue model based on road user fee in an area of Oregon. The Road User Fee should include a vehicle impact fee based on vehicle class, including weight and emissions.

The state will support continued conversations about sustainable funding multi-modal transportation infrastructure in order to meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals for the transportation sector including freight and passenger travel by air, marine, rail, transit, bicycle and pedestrian.
Read: It's mostly about electric cars, and a mileage tax, not about creating lots of choices in transportation and making it easy not to use a car!

So in response here's a holiday ad I never get tired of.



It captures cheer and a little chill - just like the real jumble of feelings for the holiday.

And it's really about sustainable transport: "That's the way, Patriot. Let the OPECs keep their gasoline. We'll just tap into a far more efficient energy source. Manpower." It's amazing a national account went with this, however briefly.

2 comments:

Walker said...

The worst part of the mediocre plan is that it pushes the biofuel nonsense. The Willamette Valley's precious and irreplaceable specialiy seed crop is being sold out for genetically tampered canola (rapeseed), which is heavily subsidized as part of a scheme to pretend that it's not really using fossil fuel if you first launder it through some crop like canola. Worst, it's the Oregon Dept. of Ag that's pimping the Willamette Valley, proposing to trade a world-renowned one of a kind treasure for a commodity crop that wouldn't even be grown if not for the massive carpet bombing of lobbying and campaign contributions and BS advertisements that the subsidy suckers use to seccure their bounty. The whole biofuels nonsense is immoral and obscene, but particularly so here in Oregon, where hunger is prevalent so widely.

Salem Breakfast on Bikes said...

Ugh. The whole foodland to fuel thing is dispiriting.

Thanks for pointing that out. Since it wasn't a "transportation" report, I didn't read it through.