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Committee members press privacy, rural and equity concerns as road-charge debate continues
Summary
Members raised privacy and rural-access concerns about road usage charges, urged federal interoperability, and stressed the need to preserve a fair replacement for the gas tax. Lee Tian and Misty emphasized risks from location tracking and the limited viability of EVs in rural communities.
Committee members used the July 31 member-report period to highlight unresolved issues: privacy and location-data risks, rural and tribal impacts, and the need for federal interoperability if a road-usage model is to replace the gas tax. Lee Tian, who has worked on privacy issues, warned that "privacy and security issues associated with infrastructural... surveillance aren't going away," citing automated license-plate readers and concerns tied to geolocation data collection.
Misty, speaking for rural voices, said electric vehicles remain impractical for many rural residents who face frequent power outages and long distances to essential services, and warned that shifts away from gas-tax revenue could worsen road maintenance deficits in those areas. Several members urged staff and agencies to continue outreach to tribal and rural governments and to ensure any deployment protects location privacy and accommodates alternative-fuel realities where EV charging and reliability are limited.
