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The pothole outside Timothy Taylor’s home was so deep, he could hear the clunk of cars hitting it from inside his house. The Portland, Oregon, resident could sympathize with those drivers: He knew to avoid his own neighborhood pothole, but another one damaged his car’s suspension to the tune of $1,000. Hearing that awful sound of your car bottoming out its horrible, he said. Oregon transportation officials say that without more funding, residents like Taylor could see further declines in the quality of roads, highways and bridges starting this year. But revenues from gas taxes paid by drivers at the pump are projected to decrease as more people adopt electric and fuel-efficient cars, forcing officials to look for new ways to fund transportation infrastructure. States with aggressive climate goals like Oregon face a conundrum: EVs can help reduce emissions in the transportation sector, the nation’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, but they also mean less gas tax revenue in government coffers. We now find ourselves right now in a position where we want to address fuel use and drive down reliance on gases and internal combustion engines. But we need the funds to operate our roads that EVs need to use as well, said Carra Sahler, director of the Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School. Gas tax revenue is set to fall Motor fuel taxes are the largest source of transportation revenue for states, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers most recent report on state expenditures. But the money they bring in has fallen: Gas taxes raised 41% of transportation revenue in fiscal year 2016, compared with roughly 36% in fiscal year 2024, the group found. In California, where zero-emission vehicles accounted for about a quarter of car sales last year, legislative analysts predict gas tax collections will decrease by $5 billion or 64% by 2035, in a scenario where the state successfully meets its climate goals. California and Oregon are among the multiple states that will require all new passenger cars sold to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. The downward revenue trend is already playing out in Pennsylvania, where gas tax revenues dropped an estimated $250 million last year compared with 2019, according to the states independent fiscal office. Inflation has also driven up the cost of transportation materials, exacerbating budget concerns. What is going on in Oregon? The Oregon Department of Transportation citing inflation, projections of declining gas tax revenues and certain spending limitations has estimated a shortfall topping $350 million for the next budget cycle. That could mean cuts to winter snow plowing and the striping and paving of roads, as well as layoffs of as many as 1,000 transportation employees. Republican lawmakers say the gas tax revenue issue has been compounded by the department mismanaging its money. An audit released in January found the department overestimated its revenue for the current budget cycle by over $1 billion and failed to properly track certain funds. It really is about making sure that the existing dollars that are being spent by the department are being spent efficiently and effectively, said state Sen. Bruce Starr, GOP co-vice chair of the joint transportation committee. How states are boosting transportation funding To make up for lost revenue, 34 states have raised their gas tax since 2013, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. California has the highest gas tax at over 69 cents a gallon when including other taxes and fees, while Alaska has the lowest at 9 cents a gallon, according to figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In Oregon which in 1919 became the first state to implement a gas tax it is 40 cents a gallon. The federal gas tax of 18 cents a gallon, which isnt adjusted for inflation, hasnt been raised in over three decades. In Oregon, where there is no sales tax and tolling has met fierce opposition, lawmakers are debating next steps. Other states have taken such steps as indexing their gas tax to inflation, raising registration fees for EVs and taxing EV charging stations. To bolster transportation dollars, some have reorganized their budgets. In Michigan, where Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was first elected using the slogan Fix the Damn Roads, some revenues from marijuana taxes and personal income taxes now go toward transportation. In Connecticut, the sales tax now brings in more money for its special transportation fund than gas tax revenues, a 2024 fiscal report shows. Another concept that could provide a long-term solution is what are often known as a road user charge. Under such a system, drivers pay a fee based on the distance they travel. In 2023, Hawaii established a road usage charge program for EV drivers that will phase in starting this July. In 2028, all EV drivers will be automatically enrolled, with odometers read at annual vehicle inspections. Three other states Oregon, Utah and Virginia have voluntary road usage fee programs. Drivers can opt to use GPS tools to track and report their mileage. Claire Rush, Associated Press The name of the National Association of State Budget Officers has been corrected to include the word State.
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Calling the groups in charge of professional tennis a cartel, the players’ association co-founded by Novak Djokovic filed an antitrust lawsuit against the women’s and men’s tours, the International Tennis Federation and the sport’s integrity agency on Tuesday in federal court in New York. The suit by the Professional Tennis Players’ Association says the organizations that run the sport hold complete control over the players pay and working conditions and their setup constitutes textbook violations of state and federal law that immunize professional tennis from ordinary market forces and deny professional tennis players and other industry participants their right to fair competition. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and wants players to gain access to more earnings, arguing that the governing bodies that oversee the four Grand Slam tournaments Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the French Open and the Australian Open and other professional events cap the prize money tournaments award and limit players ability to earn money off the court. The WTA Tour and ATP Tour issued separate statements Tuesday saying they would vigorously defend themselves. The WTA said it has committed to a $400 million increase in player compensation in recent years and labeled the PTPA action a baseless legal case that is regrettable and misguided. The ATP touted a major increase in player compensation that created a jump of $70 million in the past five years, and called the PTPA’s case entirely without merit. The PTPA has consistently chosen division and distraction through misinformation over progress, the ATP’s statement said. Five years on from its inception in 2020, the PTPA has struggled to establish a meaningful role in tennis, making its decision to pursue legal action at this juncture unsurprising. The ITF and the International Tennis Integrity Agency which investigates and adjudicates doping and corruption cases declined to comment. The PTPA was founded by 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil in August 2020, aiming to offer representation for players who are independent contractors in a largely individual sport. One of the goals made clear along the way was to become a sort of full-fledged union that negotiates collective bargaining agreements like those that exist in team sports. For the past few years, the PTPA, an organization Ive worked on tirelessly since its inception, has made countless efforts to collaborate with the tours in hopes of achieving positive change for players. Despite these efforts and attempts to engage in constructive dialogue, we were met with resistance and a lack of meaningful action. It is because of this ongoing disregard for players that we were left with no alternative but to take action of our own, Pospisil posted on social media. For too long, players have been forced to accept a broken system that ignores our well-being, undervalues our contributions, and leaves us without real representation. Djokovic is not one of the players listed as a plaintiff. His support for this is already explicit. Its redundant since PTPA (is) named as plaintiff, and he is on (the executive committee), PTPA spokesman David Cooper wrote in an email. He wanted to allow others to step up since this is not just Novaks (organization). The PTPA said it met with more than 250 players women and men, and a majority of the top 20 in the WTA and ATP rankings before going to court. Tennis is broken, PTPA executive director Ahmad Nassar said in a news release. Behind the glamorous veneer that the defendants promote, players are trapped in an unfair system that exploits their talent, suppresses their earnings, and jeopardizes their health and safety. We have exhausted all options for reform through dialogue, and the governing bodies have left us no choice but to seek accountability through the courts. Fixing these systemic failures isnt about disrupting tennis its about saving it for the generations of players and fans to come. Howard Fendrich, AP tennis writer
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The European Union’s law enforcement agency cautioned Tuesday that artificial intelligence is turbocharging organized crime that is eroding the foundations of societies across the 27-nation bloc as it becomes intertwined with state-sponsored destabilization campaigns. The grim warning came at the launch of the latest edition of a report on organized crime published every four years by Europol that is compiled using data from police across the EU and will help shape law enforcement policy in the bloc in coming years. Cybercrime is evolving into a digital arms race targeting governments, businesses and individuals. AI-driven attacks are becoming more precise and devastating, said Europol’s Executive Director Catherine De Bolle. Some attacks show a combination of motives of profit and destabilization, as they are increasingly state-aligned and ideologically motivated, she added. The report, the EU Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment 2025, said offenses ranging from drug trafficking to people smuggling, money laundering, cyber attacks and online scams undermine society and the rule of law by generating illicit proceeds, spreading violence, and normalizing corruption. The volume of child sexual abuse material available online has increased significantly because of AI, which makes it more difficult to analyze imagery and identify offenders, the report said. By creating highly realistic synthetic media, criminals are able to deceive victims, impersonate individuals and discredit or blackmail targets. The addition of AI-powered voice cloning and live video deepfakes amplifies the threat, enabling new forms of fraud, extortion, and identity theft,” it said. States seeking geopolitical advantage are also using criminals as contractors, the report said, citing cyber-attacks against critical infrastructure and public institutions originating from Russia and countries in its sphere of influence. Hybrid and traditional cybercrime actors will increasingly be intertwined, with state-sponsored actors masking themselves as cybercriminals to conceal their origin and real disruption motives, it said. Polish Interior Ministry Undersecretary of State Maciej Duszczyk cited a recent cyberattack on a hospital as the latest example in his country. Unfortunately this hospital has to stop its activity for the hours because it was lost to a serious cyber-attack,” boosted by AI, he said. AI and other technologies are a catalyst for crime, and drive criminal operations efficiency by amplifying their speed, reach, and sophistication, the report said. As the European Commission prepares to launch a new internal security policy, De Bolle said that nations in Europe need to tackle the threats urgently. We must embed security into everything we do, said European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner. He added that the EU aims to provide enough funds in coming years to double Europol’s staff. Mike Corder, Associated Press
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