DENVER — Before he joined a transportation news conference at the base of Interstate 70 at Floyd Hill, Gov. Jared Polis (D) released a statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In that statement, he called on Congress to double down on clean energy, so that fuel is not tied to geopolitical conflicts. He also called for the suspension of the federal 18-cent per gallon gas tax.
What does that have to do with Russia and Ukraine?
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in Colorado to promote President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan, was at the news conference at I-70 and Floyd Hill, so we took the question to him.
Would he encourage Congress to suspend the federal gas tax?
"As an administration, we're looking at all options. That's including actions related to the strategic petroleum reserve, actions related to global oil production and what our diplomacy can do there, knowing that the overall price of oil -- fluctuating a lot -- is set by global markets. We're going to look at everything," said Buttigieg.
There was no traffic on I-70 during the news conference because it was not a Saturday morning at 6 a.m. Even with a five-year reconstruction of I-70 and Floyd Hill set to start in a few months, does Buttigieg believe drivers should always expect to wait in traffic?
"My hope is that the kinds of congestion we've seen in recent months and years here are not in the future for this part of I-70. Now, there's a relationship between supply and demand, and as the director of CDOT has said, you can't always build your way out of congestion, but if we have the right kind of roadways and the right kind of alternatives, then we're going to have less congestion and more convenient trip times," said Buttigieg.
That stretch of I-70 is also where truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos drove through as he made a series of bad decisions in 2019, leading up to losing his brakes and crashing into stopped traffic in Lakewood, killing four.
Would Buttigieg support Colorado if the state wanted truck drivers to have mountain-specific certifications on their commercial driver's license before being allowed to drive through Colorado? He did not exactly answer, saying it was a hodgepodge of state and federal authorities.
"It's very important for there to be accountability and even more important for there to be safety measures so that crashes like this don't happen in the first place," said Buttigieg.
As part of a larger investigation, 9Wants To Know investigator Chris Vanderveen reported that trucking companies need only $750,000 in insurance coverage, the federally-mandated minimum since 1980. Democrats have tried and failed in the last decade to get that minimum amount raised. Would Buttigieg support raising that minimum?
"I think we do need to take a hard look at this. We need to look at anything that could affect decisions that bear on safety. Not only does there have to be appropriate accountability after something happens, but every measure that we can take in terms of both physical design and policy, to make sure that these things don't happen in the first place," said Buttigieg.
The infrastructure package that Buttigieg is promoting comes with billions for electric vehicle (EV) stations.
The first executive order signed by Polis in 2019 called for 940,000 EVs by 2030.
In January 2021, Colorado had 44,000 EVs on the road.
In January 2022, there were 49,271.
"Electric is clearly the future. We know that's going to happen, but what's not guaranteed to happen on its own is that it come in time to help us beat the climate challenge, that it be made in America and that it be equitable -- available to everybody. That's where we're taking policy actions. (Spending) $7.5 billion to get more chargers out there, so that people considering an electric vehicle don't have to wonder whether they can get to where they need to be on a full charge and charge up along the way," said Buttigieg. "One thing we know for sure is if more people are confident that they can charge the vehicle, whether it's at or near their home or whether it's out on a road trip, the more people are going to make that choice to go electric."
Buttigieg was joined Thursday by Polis, U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), U.S. Congressman Joe Neguse (D-CO) and others.
The Department of Transportation said that during his trip, Buttigieg is viewing the Denver metro area and the Western Slope in order to see Colorado transportation projects firsthand.
As his visit continues Friday, Buttigieg will join Hickenlooper, Bennet and others for a visit to the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) facility in Glenwood Springs. RFTA is one of the largest rural transit authorities in the country.
Buttigieg will also tour the Glenwood Canyon Emergency Reconstruction Project, and hold a media availability at the Bair Ranch Rest Stop for updates on the I-70 Glenwood Canyon project which was repeatedly destroyed in mudslides in 2021.
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