Bill would plug electric vehicles into Washington's proposed pay-per-mile road tax

The better mileage Washington drivers get out of their vehicles, the less money could be in state coffers for repairing roadways whose costs may outpace Washington’s steep gas tax.

Currently, drivers pay 49.4 cents per gallon at the pump in Washington — the fourth highest gas tax in the nation behind California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. State lawmakers want to bump that tax higher as more fuel-efficient and electric vehicles hit the road and drivers fill up with less gas.

A bill sponsored by state Sen. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, would raise...