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Utah bill looking to ensure electric vehicle owners ‘pay their fair share’ advances in Legislature

Funds from the gas tax have eroded away due to more people using hybrid cars.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Crews work to install a total of four electric car charging stations at Liberty park in Salt Lake on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. A proposed bill during the 2022 Utah Legislature would have hybrid and electric car owners pay a fee to offset the money they're not paying on gas tax.

A bill aimed at getting the drivers of hybrid and electric vehicles to “pay their fair share” for state road maintenance is making its way through the Utah Legislature.

Vehicle Registration Amendments, designated as HB 186 in the 2022 Legislature, creates a road-usage fee for non-gas powered vehicles that would start in 2023 if passed.

HB 186′s sponsor, Rep. Raymond Ward of Bountiful, told the Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy and Technology Committee on Tuesday that the gas tax that traditionally fuels the state’s road maintenance fund has been eroding in recent years.

The reduction in funds has been due to people using more gas-efficient vehicles, so they aren’t buying as much gas, along with the growing adoption of hybrid and electric vehicles, Ward said.

To read more about the proposed bill, visit St. George News.

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.