11-25-14 environmental group critical of dot budget

The  director of an environmental group says he finds it interesting that in a climate of lower taxes a propsosed DOT budget would raise taxes on Wisconsin residents.  The DOT budget unveiled last week calls for new fees and tax hikes totaling $750 million to help pay for roadwork.  Executive director of the group 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, Steve Hiniker, tells WFDL news while he doesn’t know what the final budget will look like he expects the governor will make significant cutbacks .  Part of the DOT proposal is a special $50 annual fee on electric and hybrid  vehicles.  The thought being that owners of these vehicles pay little if any motor fuel tax to help cover costs of road maintenance and operations.  Hiniker says that would penalize people for doing the right thing by purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles.