Caltrans and the Western Road Usage Charge Consortium (RUC West) have been awarded $750,000 and $1.5 million, respectively, through the Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives grant program within the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. California’s award will enhance the existing Road Charge Pilot Program while the funds for RUC West will support the development of a multi-state road usage charge system regional plan.
“California and RUC West have made great inroads into studying mileage-based user fees as an alternative to the gas tax. These FAST Act grant awards will help further our efforts in researching and developing innovative transportation financing methods not only for California and the Western States, but potentially the nation,” said Malcolm Dougherty, Caltrans Director and RUC West Board of Directors Chairman.
The FAST Act grant award affords Caltrans the opportunity to expand upon the ongoing efforts to engage the public on transportation funding and alternative methods of future revenue generation, while continuing to formulate and strengthen a streamlined system of administration, oversight and compliance for a road charge program. The current work on the California pilot has demonstrated that the pilot could improve its organizational structure, expand education and outreach, and explore alternative mileage reporting and recording options. This expanded research will provide additional information for the final report to better inform the Administration and the Legislature.
The RUC West grant award will help develop a regional plan that addresses critical policy, organizational, technological, and operational challenges for finding an equitable and innovative way to generate and collect revenue to fund transportation infrastructure.
In the FAST Act, Congress recognized the need to demonstrate user-based alternatives for raising revenue using a mileage based user fee model (road charge) to maintain the long-term solvency of the Federal Highway Trust Fund. The enactment of the FAST Act created a five-year, $95 million grant program which is eligible for a state or group of states to test the design, acceptance, and implementation of a future road charge alternative revenue mechanism.
In July 2016, California launched its nine-month pilot, the largest in the nation, enlisting over 5,000 vehicles representing the diverse demographic, geographic and socio-economic aspects of California. At the conclusion of the pilot, a final findings report will be submitted by the California State Transportation Agency to the California Legislature, California Transportation Commission and the Technical Advisory Committee in June 2017.
Formed in 2013, the Western Road Usage Charge Consortium (RUC West) is a voluntary coalition of 14 western state departments of transportation that are committed to collaborative research and development of a new method for funding transportation infrastructure based on drivers’ actual road usage. Member states include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington.
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Oh Brilliant! Tax the hell out of the people who drive forever to work from the homes they can afford. OH and then tax the hell out of all the truck companies like we don’t use them for EVERYTHING! How stupid!!
Despite signs that California’s latest and most damaging wave of the pandemic is subsiding, the state nonetheless sets a one-day record of 764 deaths on Friday.
Claims of excessive force, retaliation, and other misconduct by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will be probed during a C, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Friday.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials on Friday confirmed 256 new deaths and 9,277 new cases of confirmed COVID-19 countywide, as Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia reported it's 107th death.
The COVID-19 crisis has trashed recycling efforts and instead generated an increase in plastic waste, according to a recent study, but Los Angeles County restaurants could soon be required to make adjustments related to disposable food ware in an effort to reduce waste.
Despite signs that California’s latest and most damaging wave of the pandemic is subsiding, the state nonetheless sets a one-day record of 764 deaths on Friday.
Claims of excessive force, retaliation, and other misconduct by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will be probed during a C, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Friday.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials on Friday confirmed 256 new deaths and 9,277 new cases of confirmed COVID-19 countywide, as Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia reported it's 107th death.
The Los Angeles County Library, in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is set to host a series of free virtual workshops running every other week on Fridays from January through June.
The temporary residential green waste pick-up schedule will continue through Jan. 29 for customers in Santa Clarita after Waste Management requested an additional week for its modified schedule.
The William S. Hart Union High School District Governing Board has approved the recommendation to name Julian Gomez as the assistant principal of Bowman High School.
The Los Angeles County Development Authority will launch the Small Business Stabilization Loan Program on Jan. 28 and will begin accepting applications to help small businesses prevent further job loss and business closures.
The William S. Hart Union High School District governing board voted 3-1 Wednesday night to let athletic conditioning return to district campuses Jan. 27.
Join the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency (SCV Water) on Thursday, Jan. 28, from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., to learn about and provide input on its Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP).
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 262 new deaths, including an additional death at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, and 8,512 new cases of confirmed COVID-19 countywide, with 22,360 total cases in the Santa Clarita Valley.
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Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose 5th District includes the Santa Clarita Valley, is supporting the effort by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to address concerns of communities throughout Los Angeles County, which continue to experience ongoing Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) initiated by Southern California Edison (Edison).
Single Mothers Outreach (SMO) is proud to announce “Survivor” as the theme for the 11th annual Empowering HeArts fundraising gala set to take place virtually on Saturday, Aug. 7.
The College of the Canyons School of Personal and Professional Learning was presented an Honorable Mention award by the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges’ 2021 Exemplary Program Award.
The William S. Hart Union High School is looking for two new members to serve on the Measure SA Citizens’ Oversight Committee. These members will serve two-year terms with a maximum of three consecutive terms.
The Los Angeles County Coroner-Medical Examiner’s Office identified Carlos Salgado-Ruiz, 35, of Santa Clarita, as the pedestrian killed after being struck by a vehicle in Saugus Wednesday night.
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Oh Brilliant! Tax the hell out of the people who drive forever to work from the homes they can afford. OH and then tax the hell out of all the truck companies like we don’t use them for EVERYTHING! How stupid!!