Category Archives: legislative trend

Legal & Lege Trend. EV Fee Unconstitutional? 2 Points= you're informed.

  • Oklahoma Legislature passed Motor Fuels Tax Fee (HB 1449) to tax/impose a fee on EV ($100) and hybrid cars ($30)
  • The OK Supreme Court declared HB 1449 unconstitutional because:
    • HB 1449 was a revenue bill passed in the last five days of session
    • As such, HB 1449 needed three-fourths of the legislature’s support.

Oklahoma House Bill 1449 (2017 Regular Session)

News On 6 | Another OK Legislature ‘Fee’ Deemed Unconstitutional 

TREND. EV Truck Platooning. 4 Key Points.

  • Tesla is set to unviel its electric self driving truck in Novmeber 2017
  • The economics of truck driving has shown the greatest efficiency with a platoon of trucks
    • 7-8 trucks driving in close proximity
    • effectively reduces diesel costs for regular trucks and can reduce battery use
  • Long range (900 mile) EV trucks are thought to be cost prohibitive unless robotic battery changing (not charging) stations are available
  • Self driving electric trucks will focus on short range trips

MIT…

TEXAS INTERIM CHARGES. 10 Transportation Charges. Energy. Trade. Tech.

House Committee on International Trade & Intergovernmental Affairs 

#2 Transportation Barriers to Trade.  Review the current state of infrastructure at Texas’ international shipping ports and border ports of entry in Texas. Identify transportation-related impediments to international trade and estimate the impact of those challenges, including border wait times, on the state’s economy. Make recommendations for improvements to facilitate international trade and economic growth. (Joint charge…

Anatomy of a Local High Speed Rail Fight in Maryland. 4 Points from the Opposition,

Where: Prince George’s County

The opposition arguments of the local officials: 

  • the high speed rail cuts through neighborhoods 
  • the high speed rail runs too close to schools
  • vow no taxpayer supported funding for the project
  • “eliminate any chance the project can seize land from private citizens” by changing eminent domain laws

WTOP | Prince George’s Co. leaders vow to derail plans for high-speed train

Campaign Trend. Voters Approve Tightening Transportation Funding.

Voters in Lousianna approved a dedication of funds to transportation from an increased gas tax.

The gas tax has not been increased in 28 years and has not yet been increased.

The dedication of gas tax increase funds to transportation projects was seen as the major hurdle for approval of a gas tax increase.

Governing | Louisiana Voters OK Measure to Tighten Transportation Spending

5 Issues that Legislators & Regulators will face with EV Charger Stations.

 

  • ​ Will regulators/legislators allow utilities to rate-base infrastructure costs?
  • Will regulators/legislators permit a shift in costs from private installers and owners onto the general rate base?
  • Can investments be recovered through performance-based regulations?
  • How to incentivize investments by rewarding social benefits without exposing ratepayers to undue risk?
  • Will regulators and utilities adopt the free and open-source Open Charge Point Protocol to support interoperable…

Trend. Rulemaking. Billboards. Texas. Everything bigger in Texas? 3 Key Points from Supporters.

TXDOT proposes billboards rules that permit billboards to 85 feet high.

A Sunset bill author, TX Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville says:

  •  Intent was to only grandfather in existing signs above the 42.5 foot limit. 
  • New billboards would have to comply with current 42.5 foot limit according to Sunset 
  • Existing signs below 42.5 cannot exceed 42.5 feet

What’s the property right issue at play? Existing billboards that were built under 1986 rules that had no height limitations

The…

The Big Loophole in Self Driving Car Regulations and Legislation.

What’s missing from most state and federal self driving car regulations and legislation?  Big Trucks.

Self driving truck economuy is growing and the regulations and legislation are not keeping pace, or so say lawyer sin this field in California, the first state to implement self-driving car regulations.

The Recorder | We Asked California Lawyers for Views on the New Driverless Rules. Here’s What They Said.

Local Trend 3 Cities that get Extra Ride Share Data & How Cities Get the Data.

These cities regularly get ride share tip information:

  • New York City
  • Chicago
  • Portland, Oregon

2 Methods Cities are Getting Additional TNC data:

  • From data produced through secure servers
  • Some cities have negotiated various confidentiality agreements

The Recorder | Uber and Lyft Resist Regulators’ Appeal for Data Sharing

 

East Coast City Looking at Congestion Pricing to Raise Transit Funds. Can your city enact Congestion Pricing for Drivers?

New York Governor Cuomo is has called for a study to look at congestion pricing in New York City.

How would congestion pricing work?  Two ways to phrase it:

  • Creates a toll system to enter congested portions of a city.
  • Creates a user fee for access to a central business district

What would NYC’s congestion pricing fund? mass transit

Do other cities have congestion pricing? Yes, Stockholm Sweden

Could a city in your state impose its own congestion pricing?…

CBS New York | Cuomo…