Gov. Charlie Baker speaks with reporters on July 29, 2019. State House News Service Photo | Sam Doran

Gov. Charlie Baker this week said he wouldn’t support a “big increase” in the gas tax but that doesn’t mean the governor supports any increase in that levy.

“We’ve said all along that we don’t think the gas tax is the right way to go, primarily because it is just Massachusetts, it can only be used for roads and bridges, and people would be able to just go to other states to purchase gasoline, which puts a burden on retailers here in Massachusetts and really won’t raise the money that people talk about,” Baker said during an event on Oct. 30, according to a transcript provided by his office.

Many lawmakers and interest groups are pushing for the inclusion of a sizeable increase in the 24 cent-per-gallon gas tax as part of a package of revenue generation options that House leaders are assembling and plan to present to the full House for debate this month. Baker says the state has sufficient tax and borrowing capacity to make needed investments in transportation, but many others believe the investments necessary aren’t possible without more money.

“We prefer the $19 billion bond bill that we’ve got pending before the legislature – which has resources in it,” Baker said at the Oct. 30 event at the Volpe Center. “$11 billion to spend on roads and bridges, choke points and other issues like that; another $7 or $8 billion to put on top of the money we’ve already put on the table to support our public transportation infrastructure.”

Baker is among the governors in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states that are working on a novel initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, an effort that is expected to lead to higher gas prices and generate revenue for participating states.

If Baker is not on board with revenue-generating proposals in the legislature, the hurdle to pass those measures would be higher as Democrats would need to ensure they have a two thirds majority in both branches to override any vetoes that might be returned from the Corner Office.