Sen. Sharon Runner announced today that she is authoring legislation to prohibit Cap and Trade funds from being used for High Speed Rail. Introduced in the First Extraordinary Session on Transportation Infrastructure, Senate Bill 1X 6 would instead require Cap and Trade dollars be used to fund existing transportation projects.
“I do not support the Cap and Trade tax, but drivers are already paying it at the pump to the tune of $1.9 billion a year,” said Runner, R-Lancaster. “California should not spend another dollar on the high speed rail boondoggle; if taxpayers are being forced to pay, the money should be used for existing transportation purposes.”
Currently, 25 percent of annual Cap and Trade proceeds are used to pay for the failed High Speed Rail project. SB 1X 6 would redirect these funds to the California Transportation Commission to be used for necessary, high priority transportation projects such as fixing our roads and highways. It would also return the $400 million in Cap and Trade taxes borrowed by the General Fund.
“Instead of High Speed Rail, we should be spending Cap and Trade dollars to restore our badly neglected transportation infrastructure,” said Runner. “We need to work on improving our existing transportation system. Fixing and updating our roads to meet current demands would benefit California’s families and reduce greenhouse gasses right away.”
Elected in March 2015, Sharon Runner represents portions of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties as Senator for the 21st District. Her district includes the Antelope Valley, Victor Valley and portions of the Santa Clarita Valley. For more information, visit http://district21.cssrc.us/.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
Tweet This
Facebook
Digg This
Bookmark
Stumble
RSS
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
9 Comments
Please, please do this.
This is so much better use of the funds. The money should be used for roads and/or water solutions, not the bullet train or schools.
Awesome! The Runners are a great team fighting for sensible government is Sacramento. Thank you both for your service.
How about desalination plants to help with this drought??!!!
How about desalination plants to help with this drought??!!!
@Lisa Christensen, this is a tax being charged at the pumps when drivers fuel vehicles. It makes sense to use the money to maintain and improve the road, bridges, and highways that the vehicles use.
What happened to the other 75% of cap and trade funds? Can’t those funds be used to fix roads and highways? “Fixing and updating our roads to meet current demands would benefit California’s families and reduce greenhouse gasses right away.” How is fixing roads to meet current demands going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions right away? Wouldn’t that increase greenhouse gasses?
Don’t need the bullet train!
I think if we built more aqueducts and reservoirs we could certainly store more water from years we have more rain/snow. Droughts come and go but if we can build a surplus then we wouldn’t struggle in situations like were in now.