A panel of transportation experts and economists will meet on Wednesday, April 17, to discuss “Taxes, Green Vehicles, and the Death of Tennessee Transportation.”
The panel discussion will be from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the Toyota Auditorium in the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. It is free and open to the public.
The discussion will be moderated by Baker Scholars Eric Dixon, senior in philosophy, and Caleb Williford, senior in logistics.
Panelists will discuss the funding of state roads and bridges. Fuel tax revenue, which funds road maintenance, has been lower in the past few years because of more energy-efficient vehicles and alternative fuels. Paired with increased traffic and rising maintenance costs, building and repairing Tennessee roads have become more difficult.
The UT Transportation Research Center will open the panel with an overview of the situation before panelists discuss their solutions to the problem.
Panelists include:
- Kevin Bakewell, senior vice president of the AAA Auto Club Group
- Mark Burton, associate professor of economics and director of transportation economics at the UT Transportation Research Center
- Mike Edwards, president of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce
- Dave Huneryager, president and CEO of the Tennessee Trucking Association
- Matt Murray, director of UT’s Baker Center and economist at the Center for Business and Economic Research
- John Schroer, commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Transportation
- Kent Starwalt, executive vice president of the Tennessee Road Builders Association
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C O N T A C T :
Nissa Dahlin-Brown (865-974-8681, nissa@utk.edu)