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Oregon could become the second U.S. state to require electric vehicle owners to enroll in a pay-per-mile program as lawmakers begin a special session Friday to fill a $300 million transportation budget hole that threatens basic services like snowplowing and road repairs.Legislators failed earlier this year to approve a transportation funding package. Hundreds of state workers’ jobs are in limbo, and the proposal for a road usage charge for EV drivers was left on the table.Hawaii in 2023 was the first state to create a mandatory road usage charge program to make up for projected decreases in fuel tax revenue due to the growing number of electric, hybrid and fuel-efficient cars. Many other states have studied the concept, and Oregon, Utah and Virginia have voluntary programs.The concept has promise as a long-term funding solution, experts say. Others worry about privacy concerns and discouraging people from buying EVs, which can help reduce transportation emissions.“This is a pretty major change,” said Liz Farmer, an analyst for The Pew Charitable Trusts’ state fiscal policy team, noting “the challenge in enacting something that’s dramatically different for most drivers.” Oregon’s transportation woes Oregon’s transportation department says the budget shortfall stems from inflation, projected declines in gas tax revenue and other spending limits. Over the summer, it sent layoff notices to nearly 500 workers and announced plans to close a dozen road maintenance stations.Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek paused those moves and called the special session to find a solution. Republican lawmakers say the department mismanaging its money is a main issue.Kotek’s proposal includes an EV road usage charge that is equivalent to 5% of the state’s gas tax. It also includes raising the gas tax by 6 cents to 46 cents per gallon, among other fee increases.The usage charge would phase in starting in 2027 for certain EVs and expand to include hybrids in 2028. Should the gas tax increase be approved, EV drivers either would pay about 2.3 cents per mile, or choose an annual flat fee of $340. Drivers in the program wouldn’t have to pay supplemental registration fees.Drivers would have several options for reporting mileage to private contractors, including a smartphone app or the vehicle’s telematics technology, said Scott Boardman, policy adviser for the transportation department who works on the state’s decade-old voluntary road usage charge program.As of May, there were over 84,000 EVs registered in Oregon, about 2% of the state’s total vehicles, he said. Hawaii launches program Under Hawaii’s program, which began phasing in last month, EV drivers can pay $8 per 1,000 miles driven, capped at $50, or an annual fee of $50.In 2028, all EV drivers will be required to enroll in the pay-per-mile program, with odometers read at annual inspections. By 2033, the program is expected to expand to all light-duty vehicles. Questions about privacy and fairness In past surveys commissioned by Oregon’s transportation department, respondents cited privacy, GPS devices and data security as concerns about road usage charges.Oregon’s voluntary program has sought to respond to such concerns by deleting mileage data 30 days after a payment is received, Boardman said. While plug-in GPS devices are an option in the program, transportation officials anticipate moving away from them because they’re more expensive and can be removed, he added.Still, not everyone has embraced a road usage charge. Arizona voters will decide next year whether to ban state and local governments from implementing a tax or fee based on miles traveled after the measure was referred to the ballot by the Republican-majority Legislature.Many people don’t realize that “both your vehicle and your cellphone capture immense amounts of data about your personal driving habits already,” said Brett Morgan, Oregon transportation policy director for the nonprofit Climate Solutions.Morgan added that road usage charges exceeding what drivers of internal combustion engines would pay in gas taxes could dissuade people from buying electric and hybrid cars. Already, federal tax incentives for EVs are set to expire under the tax and spending cut bill recently passed by the GOP-controlled Congress.“We are definitely supportive of a road usage charge that has EVs paying their fair share, but they should not be paying extra or a penalty,” Morgan said. Claire Rush Associated Press
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Mount Fuji hasn’t erupted since 1707. But for Volcanic Disaster Preparedness Day, Japanese officials have released computer- and AI-generated videos showing a simulation of a potential violent eruption of the active volcano.The videos, released this week, are meant to prepare the 37 million residents in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area for potential disasters.The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s video warns an eruption could strike “at any moment, without warning,” depicting volcanic ash shrouding central Tokyo, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away, within hours, paralyzing transportation, disrupting food and power, and causing long-term respiratory problems.The video ends with the message: “We need to arm ourselves with facts and prepare for disaster in our daily lives.” It shows a family’s pantry stocked with canned food and a first-aid kit.The Tokyo government said in a statement that there are currently no signs of Fuji erupting. “The simulation is designed to equip residents with accurate knowledge and preparedness measures they can take in case of an emergency,” it explained.But the videos have caused anxiety and confusion among some residents.“Are there actually any signs of eruption?” said Shinichiro Kariya, a 57-year-old hospital employee. “Why are we now hearing things like ’10 centimeters of ash could fall,’ even in Tokyo? I’m wondering why this is happening all of a sudden.”Hiromi Ooki, who lives in Mishima City, which has prime views of Fuji, said she planned to buy emergency supplies the next day. “Nature’s power is so great that maybe it’s better if it scares us a little,” she said.Representatives of both the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Japan’s Cabinet Office Disaster Prevention Division said they had not received complaints from Tokyo residents about the videos.University of Tokyo professor and risk communication expert Naoya Sekiya said the government has for years modeled scenarios for volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, but added that does not mean Fuji is about to erupt.“There’s no particular significance to the timing,” Sekiya said.Japan is highly vulnerable to natural disasters because of its climate and topography and is known for its meticulous disaster planning which spans earthquakes, typhoons, floods, mudslides and volcanic eruptions.The Japan Meteorological Agency last August issued its first-ever “megaquake advisory” after a powerful quake struck off the southeastern coast of the southern main island of Kyushu.Of the world’s roughly 1,500 active volcanoes, 111 are in Japan, which lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”Fuji, Japan’s tallest peak, used to erupt about every 30 years, but it has been dormant since the 18th century. Video journalist Ayaka McGill contributed to this report. Reeno Hashimoto, Associated Press
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European shares were trading lower on Friday following a mixed session in Asia as investors awaited a key U.S. inflation report.Economists expect the U.S. personal consumption expenditures index, due later in the day, to show inflation remained at about 2.6% in July.The futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.3%. Oil prices were also lower.In early European trading, Germany’s DAX shed 0.6% to 23,901.77 as the latest figures showed unemployment remained at 6.3% in July, for a sixth straight month. Adjusted for seasonal factors, it topped 3 million for the first time in a decade.Britain’s FTSE 100 lost 0.3% to 9,191.08 while the CAC 40 in Paris fell 0.7% to 7,712.11.During Asian trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.3% to 42,718.47 after a slew of data released Friday showed Japan’s factory output slumped in July as higher tariffs hit on exports to the United States. Inflation in Tokyo also slowed to 2.6% year-on-year, while the jobless rate fell to 2.3% in July from 2.5% in June.“Today’s Japanese data was mixed, with disappointing industrial production threatening third-quarter growth, while a tight labor market points to increased wages and underlying inflation remaining firm,” ING Economics said in a commentary. “We still think October is the most likely timing for a Bank of Japan rate hike.”Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 0.3% to 25,077.62, while the Shanghai Composite index added 0.4% to 3,857.93. Shares in computer chipmaker Cambricon Technologies shed 6% after soaring 15.7% on Thursday, closing at 1,492.49 yuan (about $209) a share. But it remained the priciest stock on Shanghai’s exchange after displacing Kweichou Moutai, whose shares gained 2.3% to 1,480 yuan ($207.50).Chinese computer chipmakers have seen their share prices surge as the government provides heavy support to encourage wider manufacturing and use of chips made in China.“Hyper-growth in China’s tech landscape is starting to feel like a zero-sum cage fight rather than a clean runway. Even Cambricon’s AI chip story, this week’s darling, is now flashing red lights, warning of trading risks after an 8% skid,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.South Korea’s KOSPI shed 0.3% to 3,186.01, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.1% lower to 8,973.10.Taiwan’s TAIEX shed earlier gains and was down less than 0.1%, while India’s BSE Sensex slipped 0.1%.On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose 0.3%, lifting the benchmark index to its second record high in a row. The Dow Jones Industrial Average reversed an early slide and gained 0.2%, enough to move past its record high set last Friday.The Nasdaq composite closed 0.5% higher, finishing just short of its all-time high set two weeks ago.Gains in the technology and communication services sectors offset losses elsewhere in the market.Tech giant Nvidia fell 0.8% a day after reporting quarterly earnings and revenue that beat Wall Street analysts’ forecasts, though the company noted that sales of its artificial intelligence chipsets rose at a slower pace than analysts anticipated.Traders also had their eye on new government reports on the job market and economy.The Labor Department reported that applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, the latest sign that employers are holding onto their workers even as the economy has slowed.The most recent government data suggests hiring has slowed sharply since this spring.Meanwhile, the Commerce Department reported that U.S. gross domestic product the nation’s output of goods and services grew at a 3.3% annual pace in the April-June quarter after shrinking 0.5% in the first three months of this year due to the fallout from the Trump administration’s trade wars.Still, the sluggishness in the job market is a key reason that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled last week that the central bank may cut its key interest rate at its meeting next month.In other dealings on Friday, U.S. benchmark crude lost 42 cents to $64.18 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, slid 41 cents to $67.57 per barrel.The U.S. dollar rose to 147.00 Japanese yen from 146.95 yen. The euro fell to $1.1675 from $1.1684. Teresa Cerojano, Associated Press
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