Rep. Huffman Pushes Bill to Replace Gas Tax
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) this week introduced a bill that would replace the diesel and gas tax with a carbon tax, the latest congressional proposal aimed at boosting transportation dollars ahead of the reauthorization of a major highway law this spring.
Huffman’s legislation would task the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with developing a life-cycle assessment for certain sources of crude oil, biofuels and other inputs into diesel and for vehicle transportation. The life-cycle assessment, known as “well-to-wheel,” would be used to calculate total emissions, according to background information Huffman’s office provided.
Under the legislation, emissions would be taxed initially at $50 per metric ton of carbon dioxide emissions, and EPA would be allowed to adaptively manage the rate to ensure funding.
The federal 18.4-cents-per-gallon gas tax and 24.4-cents- per-gallon diesel tax were last raised in 1993. The Highway Trust Fund, which is used to assist states in paying for infrastructure projects, relies on revenue from fuel taxes. However, better fuel efficiency from trucks and cars has reduced the amount of money going into the fund. A short-term funding fix Congress approved to keep the fund solvent is scheduled to expire sometime around May.
“While the strides we have made for vehicle fuel efficiency has saved consumers millions of dollars at the pump, the antiquated and inflexible federal gas tax has left our nation’s transportation infrastructure demands unmet,” Huffman, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said in a statement Jan. 13. The legislation, he added, “would help spur advancements in clean energy technology, reduce carbon pollution and fight climate change here at home and abroad.”
The bill was referred to the policy-writing House Energy and Commerce Committee and the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.
