Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is again calling for a suspension of the state’s gas tax as prices continue to soar. News4’s Adam Tuss examines the issue and the growing demand to make a shift toward electric vehicles.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin again is calling for a suspension of the commonwealth's gas tax as a way to help lower the price at the pump.
"I am not giving up on the gas tax. We're are still working. It is the single biggest topic that I hear from Virginians," Youngkin said.
The governor has tried twice now to put a three-month gas tax holiday in place, which would lower the cost of a gallon of gas by about 26 cents. But so far, he’s come up empty.
"I'm going to continue to work hard on this," he said. "I need help from our Senate Democrat colleagues to make it happen."
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Gas prices just continue to go up. At a Sunoco in Falls Church, a gallon of regular was going for $5.15. That’s why Youngkin says he wants the price to come down.
But there is still opposition to that plan.
Virginia's Senate Democrats have not budged. Some, including Sen. Scott Surovell, say the caucus didn’t like the idea before and probably won’t again. Their concern, in part, is that the move would only benefit oil companies that could just re-raise the price of gas.
Transportation
Reporter Adam Tuss and the News4 team are covering you down on the roads and in transit.
Youngkin has until Thursday night to draw up an amendment on the gas tax holiday to put into recently adopted state budgets.
Meanwhile, the push to make a switch to electric vehicles continues throughout the D.C. area, with an estimated 70,000 electric vehicles on our local roads right now.
Some people are seeing more opportunities to build developments around new charging stations.
"If you think about it, every time people come to charge their vehicle, they will be in that area for about 20-30 minutes," Javad Mohammadi, a University of Texas EV expert, said. "So that could provide some added traffic if there are shops and stores around."
For now, those still driving gas-powered vehicles are wondering when these rising prices will finally hit the brakes.
