As Michiganders hit the road this holiday weekend, state lawmakers are brainstorming ways to help close the state's $3.9 billion road funding gap. One idea is the Road Usage Pilot Program, to add tolls and mileage fees for using some of the most heavily traveled highways in the state.

The pilot study is still in early stages of discussion, but it could mean a 6-cents-per-mile fee for drivers, which could raise $1 billion to fix Michigan's decaying roads.

House Transportation Budget chair Rep. Ranjeev Puri, D-Canton, said road funding comes from a variety of sources, but it isn't enough.

"When we all purchase a vehicle, we go pay a registration fee. So, those registration fees kind of help fund our roads. There's also some money from the sales tax that goes to roads, and there's also money from the gas tax," he said. "We've just never come up with a formula that fundamentally meets the needs of the state."

Puri noted the rise in electric vehicle use equals fewer people buying gas, which means less gas-tax revenue.

More than 1.3 million Michigan residents are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day weekend, according to the American Automobile Association, up 4% from last year.

Puri said some roads could even be removed because they're not needed anymore because of population changes and different modes of transportation people are using now. He said federal dollars are available to help the state secure funding for these pilot studies - but the state needs to contribute to the pot.

"If the feds are willing to help pay for that study here in Michigan, the state needs to put up some portion of that, to be able to draw down those dollars," he said. "And so, as the state of Michigan, we don't want to leave money on the table."

Puri said the next step in the process is to finalize the state budget for the next fiscal year, which will happen this summer. Based on those results, they'll wait for the feds to open up applications for the road-funding dollars.


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Electric-vehicle owners in North Dakota have long called for more action to boost the state's charging station network. There continues to be mixed messages policy-wise, but officials are moving forward on funding opportunities.

As part of federal funding awarded to all states, North Dakota is now taking applications for private entities to tap into these dollars and place fast-charging stations along Interstates 94 and 29.

Russ Buchholz, innovation manager with the North Dakota Department of Transportation, said a lack of these options has kept North Dakota's EV adoption rate low. But he hopes this latest step will inspire more confidence among current owners, as well as other consumers.

"If they know they can travel through our state pretty much at ease, and these are Level 3 chargers -- so it would take roughly about 15 minutes, maybe a half-hour to charge their vehicle -- I think there'll be a little acceptance," he explained.

Buchholz added this might convince more out-state-travelers to pass through North Dakota. The federal program pays up to 80% of project costs, but state lawmakers heavily restricted government agencies, including municipalities, from participating.

Separately, Gov. Doug Burgum has publicly criticized the movement, but ultimately agreed for the state to join regional planning for EV infrastructure.

In an oil-producing state with a largely rural backdrop, Buchholz admits opinions on EVs can be strong. He said if not enough applicants come forward to construct and own privately operated charging stations, they'll have to go back to the Legislature in hopes government agencies will get their chance.

"And that would allow, I'll say, a little more freedom and maybe a better partnership, " Buchholz continued.

No matter the political appetite, Buchholz predicts more of the transportation sector will be running on electric sources in the future. That's even with North Dakota now having fewer than one thousand registered EVs. He pointed to other developments -- such as construction equipment maker Bobcat producing electric machinery in Bismarck -- as examples that might help win over skeptics.


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Representatives from Union Pacific Railroad will attend a town hall meeting in Council Bluffs tomorrow night to hear about the so-called "triangle of death" being created by the alignment and traffic on some of its tracks.

The chronically blocked tracks are frustrating to residents but also potentially deadly, some residents said. Council Bluffs used to be home to eight rail companies. They've consolidated to four, but there are still 48 crossings in town and people in about 50 homes are trapped by tracks on two sides.

Andrew Whitehill, a resident of Council Bluffs, said he sees drivers every day create dangerous situations in a residential area where children are playing.

"'I can't afford to get stuck at this train,'" Whitehill said drivers are thinking. "They'll see the train coming and will then drive a few blocks down and try to speed past it to beat it, because they're not trying to get trapped in the triangle."

It is more of an issue now because as rail carriers have consolidated, the trains making cross-country trips are longer, stretching well beyond the rail yard and onto tracks in the city, blocking crossings. The town hall is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the police department building. Union Pacific has said it is committed to a fix.

Matt Walsh, mayor of Council Bluffs, said Union Pacific representatives expressed surprise over the blocked tracks when he met with them but added the company is willing to make changes, including by installing new technology.

"They can send a signal to a beacon, to alert people that the tracks are blocked," Walsh explained.

While the fix could help keep people from getting into the triangle in the first place, it does not do anything to help those who are already there. Union Pacific has told the mayor the company will schedule trains differently to avoid having both sets of tracks occupied at once and a new yard master will make sure it happens.


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Clean-energy advocates in Maine are applauding an expansion of the state's electric vehicle charging network. State officials recently announced the addition of seventeen new high-speed electric-vehicle charging stations, aimed at filling gaps on some of the most heavily used highways and roads.

Michael Stoddard, executive director with Efficiency Maine, said federal funds are helping place chargers in more rural areas, where swapping out older vehicles has been a challenge.

"People will know that the next time they're shopping for a car, they really can consider getting an EV as an option," he explained.

The new chargers will be installed over the next year and were funded in part by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Stoddard added the goal is to ultimately have a publicly-accessible EV charger located every 50 miles.

Roughly half of Maine's greenhouse-gas emissions come from the transportation sector. State officials have set a goal of cutting all emissions nearly in half over the next several years - ultimately reaching net-zero by 2045. It's estimated the state will need more than 200,000 light-duty EVs on the road to meet that target. Stoddard says expanding the EV infrastructure is a step in the right direction.

"If we can make real progress over the next five years on how we heat our homes and businesses and how we drive our cars and trucks, we will be really on the right track to meeting our climate action goals," he said.

Stoddard added Mainers interested in buying an electric vehicle can benefit from federal tax credits aimed at increasing EV sales. New vehicles are eligible for up to $7,500 in federal credits while state rebates can knock even more off the manufacturer's retail price.


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