Hardly a Holiday

The gas tax holiday plan suggested by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and supported by Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is an empty solution to a complex problem. As Alliance President Kateri Callahan wrote in letters to all three presidential candidates (two imploring McCain and Clinton to reconsider the proposal, one praising Senator Obama (D-IL) for rejecting it): “There is no quick fix [for record-high prices for gasoline and oil], and rash action, even made with the best of intentions, can do more harm than good over both the short and long terms."

A ‘summer sale’ on gas encourages more driving, which leads to more CO2 emissions – as well as fewer gas-tax funded highway projects, which currently employ 1.6 million people. Better to promote efficient transportation – car pooling, energy efficient vehicles, public transportation – and efficient driving habits, of the kind put forward by the Alliance’s Drive $marter Challenge (see "Alliance Campaign Trail: The Drive $marter Challenge"; and drivesmarterchallenge.org). These long-term strategies are designed to reduce energy dependence – and, unlike the gas-tax holiday, will outlast a summer tan.