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Los Angeles to impose driver fee to help fight global warming Xinhua Motorists in the Los Angeles area would be required to pay "climate change mitigation and adaptation fees" under proposals aimed at getting them to help fight global warming. The board of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has endorsed legislation that requires motorists to pay an extra 9 cents per gallon at the gas pump, or an additional 90 dollars on their vehicle registration, according to the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday. The money would fund improvements to mass transit and programs to relieve traffic congestion at a time when transportation dollars from the federal government and the California state are hard to come by, said the report.
"At this point the people of the Los Angeles region have just had it when it comes to traffic and air quality," said Assemblyman Mike Feuer, author of the legislation. Feuer's bill would allow the MTA board to ask voters either for a fee of up to 3 percent of the retail price of gas, or for a vehicle registration fee of up to 90 dollars per year. The money would pay for programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The registration fee would be higher for cars, trucks and SUVs that produce more carbon emissions, a feature that backers said would discourage drivers from using higher-polluting vehicles. Either alternative could produce 400 million dollars a year for public transit projects, according to Roger Snoble, the MTA's chief executive.
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