Environmentally conscious drivers could face a new fee in Virginia as part of Gov. Bob McDonnell's plan to fund transportation projects, so some hybrid car owners took to the streets in protest Thursday.
To raise more money, part of McDonnell’s proposal would require owners of alternative fuel vehicles to pay a new $100-per-year fee.
There are more than 91,000 of the vehicles in the commonwealth, many in northern Virginia, and their owners are slamming the fee as an unfair "hybrid tax."
Beth Kemler of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network said it doesn’t make sense to punish people who want to do their part to for the environment by driving fuel-efficient vehicles.
Some lawmakers who are considering the transportation plan are skeptical, too. One recently grilled Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton, who explained the fee was needed because hybrid owners pay less in gas taxes – a key source of transportation revenue.
