April '24 Newsletter

Garrett Morgan Sustainable
Transportation Competition

Brightline West Groundbreaking

California’s ambitious agenda to reduce fossil fuel use by transitioning the state from gas and diesel vehicles to electric ones promises important climate benefits—but also sets up a potential transportation revenue crisis. New MTI research explores this challenge. The study analyzes how much revenue the state might lose annually from fuel taxes and two registration fees on personal vehicles. Researchers consider eight scenarios that assume different rates of electric vehicle adoption, changes in how many miles Californians drive, and changes in the number of personal vehicles registered.

Key findings include:

• It is impossible to project future revenues with any confidence for more than a few years into the future. By 2040, annual revenue ranges from a low of $4.81 billion to a high of $12.15 billion.
• The state may lose substantial revenue if the SB 1 taxes and fees are not changed and/or replaced within the coming few years. In 2027, just three years out, projected annual revenue for some scenarios drops by more than a billion dollars below 2024 revenue.
• A fast ICE to ZEV transition would significantly reduce annual revenue—but so could changes in VMT.
• Fuel taxes currently provide most SB 1 revenue, but by 2040 California may rely on vehicle registration fees to provide most of the revenue.

This study offers a solution that facilitates direct trading of carbon credits with no intermediaries by using blockchain technology aligned with the cap-and-trade system. With this solution, along with other major transformations in the industry, the transportation sector can take more ownership of emissions and mitigate the impact of its role as the largest contributor of greenhouse gasses. This study shows how a democratized trading system for carbon credit trade can be constructed in which the parties conduct trades directly, with no third-party involvement, speeding up the process and potentially making it more secure and efficient. The intersection of cap-and-trade and blockchain may increase global participation in peer-to-peer exchange, which will help increase universal participation in carbon offset credits trading and allow the transportation sector to contribute actively to both short- and long-term climate change solutions.

Bike networks are growing nationwide—including in San José, which is keen on becoming “one of the most bike-friendly cities in North America.” Expanding bike networks and allocating funds require careful planning to ensure a fair distribution of bike infrastructure, but most assessment methods neglect differences in bike path classes that provide different safety and comfort levels for cyclists. Join experts to discuss an equity assessment of San José’s bike infrastructure, driven by a weighting system for different safety and comfort levels of the urban bike network, and what it could mean for traffic congestion, sustainability, and Bay Area communities.

0.5 PDH credit available to attendees. 

While the climate benefits from booming electric vehicle sales, the nation’s transportation system faces an unfortunate predicament: less gasoline and diesel purchased means dwindling fuel tax revenue. Fuel tax revenue provides a core funding source for operating, maintaining, and improving transportation systems, so policymakers must find a replacement as soon as possible. This event explores such options as mileage fees, higher annual vehicle fees, or abandoning the user-pay principle and relying on general fund revenue.

2 PDH credits and 2 CM credits available to attendees. 

If a wildfire, earthquake, or cyber emergency impacts a transit system—what happens next? How do transportation agencies respond in an emergency? The use of an Incident Command System (ICS) allows for a uniform response method for emergencies and is required by FEMA and the FHWA. ICS, however, is rarely used by transportation personnel. Join transportation and emergency response experts for a discussion of the pros and cons of implementing ICS training for field-level transportation supervisors and staff. Don’t miss this opportunity to better understand emergency response best practices in our industry.

0.75 PDH credit available to attendees. 

MTI's 2024 MSTI will be held weekdays, July 8-26, 2024, M-F 9am-3pm* at San José State University. While engaging in stimulating hands-on STEM activities and venturing on exciting local field trips, students will learn about transportation innovation and earn 3 transferable college credits in Environmental Studies from San José State University. This program is completely free and open to high school students.

For more information about MSTI, please contact Alverina Weinardy.

*On specific occasions and with notice students may be required to arrive earlier or may be released later due to field trip travel constraints.