(The Middle Sq.) – The Washington State Transportation Fee heard from state transportation company officers Tuesday morning, who supplied updates relating to the 16-year, $16.9 billion “Transfer Forward Washington” transportation package deal handed throughout this yr’s legislative session.
“This package deal was noteworthy on a number of fronts,” Steven Breaux, legislative relations director for the Washington State Division of Transportation, informed the fee on the digital WSTC assembly that can conclude Wednesday. “To begin with, it was the primary main transportation package deal in Washingtons state that didn’t embrace a rise within the state gasoline tax.”
Whereas there is no such thing as a direct gasoline tax within the transportation package deal, it initially included a controversial 6-cents-per-gallon export gas tax that was scrapped after threats of lawsuits and retaliatory laws from leaders and lawmakers in Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska.
The remaining model of the transportation package deal requires the switch of $100 million from the Public Works Help Account per yr for the lifetime of package deal. The PWAA funds are supposed to interchange the deliberate tax on gas exported from Washington’s 5 refineries to neighboring states that was anticipated to generate some $2 billion over 16 years.
“The income largely got here from appropriated federal funds by the IIJA, by revenues that had been going to be raised underneath the Local weather Dedication Act handed within the earlier Legislature,” Breaux defined relating to the funding for “Transfer Forward Washington.”
The IIJA is a reference to the $1 trillion Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act handed by Congress final yr and signed into legislation by President Joe Biden. “Transfer Forward Washington” is to obtain roughly $3.4 billion from the federal laws.
Some $5.4 billion within the “Transfer Forward Washington” laws would come from new taxes and costs on massive polluters in Washington as accredited by the legislature final yr underneath the Local weather Dedication Act.
“After which additionally, utterly new this time, was a switch from the state common fund to the transportation fund of roughly $2 billion for transportation initiatives,” Breaux defined of the one-time shift. “That can be one thing the Legislature had by no means performed earlier than.”
He went on to notice, “So, the place the cash got here from was very completely different on this transportation package deal and the place a few of that cash goes to could be very completely different in that this transportation package deal…has a rise within the proportion of funding that’s going to energetic transportation and issues which are past constructing roads and bridges.”
That features $1.5 billion for the state’s ferry system, with a few of that cash going towards efforts at making a greener ferry fleet that leaves a lighter environmental footprint.
“We’ve already been funded for one new Olympic class hybrid vessel,” stated John Vezina, authorities relations director for Washington State Ferries. “They funded 4 extra, in order that will likely be a complete of 5.”
Plans additionally name for changing the prevailing three Jumbo Mark II vessels into hybrid-electric vessels and growing terminal charging infrastructure.
“So, these three massive boats will likely be transformed to hybrid,” Vezina stated, noting the three vessels account for 27% of gas utilized by the 21-boat fleet. “A type of has been paid for. ‘Transfer Forward Washington’ pays for the opposite two, in order that we are able to get probably the most out of these boats.”
Among the “Transfer Forward Washington” cash will go towards terminal and vessel preservation.
“You recognize, as we take a look at the longer term and retaining these boats going whereas we construct new ones, that preservation cash for terminals and for vessels is sorely wanted,” Vezina famous.
Transportation isn’t solely funded by “Transfer Washington Forward.”
“Within the supplemental price range – capital and working – we obtained $4 million for a brand new dispatch system,” Vezina informed the WSTC, including a brand new dispatch system will streamline and modernize WSF’s skill to succeed in out throughout crewing challenges. The ferry system has been coping with staffing shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“On the working program, $8.5 million for recruitment and retention,” he added.
Vezina delineated the place a few of different capital and working price range cash is to go, together with $6.9 million to stabilize ferry operations; $550,000 for research on rider demographics and maximizing walk-on riders within the San Juan Islands; and $93,000 to safe housing for WSF trainees.
On Wednesday, the respective chairs of the Senate and Home Transportation Committees, Sen. Marko Liias, D-Everett, and Rep. Jake Fey-Tacoma, will present the WSTC with insights on the passage of “Transfer Forward Washington.”