Fueling clean energy research through taxing gasoline

 Much to the delight of millions of commuting Americans, a gallon of gas costs on average  less than $2 for the first time since mid-2008. Gas prices have been plummeting since June 2014, largely due to the sudden growth of shale oil production in the Midwest.

Commuters may be pleased, but cheap gas carries detrimental factors. Above all, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, drivers use fuel less efficiently when gas prices are low. Additionally, if the federal government does not impose a small tax on gas when prices are low, it will miss out on a great opportunity to increase national revenue. 

The average American commuter’s fuel efficiency has declined in the past five months from 25.8 miles per gallon to 25.1, according to Nick Nigro, the senior manager at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. This difference might seem trivial, when you take into account that, according to pacommutes.com, there are 128.3 million commuters in the U.S. But that small decrease in fuel efficiency equates to an extra 11 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, according to discovery.com. 

If gas prices continue to drop, then, we can expect fuel efficiency to drop as well, since people will feel less pressed to get as much out of each tank as possible.

To combat fuel inefficiency, the federal government should add a small tax to gas prices. Adding a $.05-$.10 price to each gallon of gas would only raise the total price of filling a tank of gas by a few dollars, but it could provide the federal government with millions of extra revenue.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. used 134.5 billion gallons of gasoline in 2013. 

With a gas tax, with the rate proposed above, the government would earn an extra $13.5 billion. With more than 100 million commuters in the U.S., the gas tax would cost less than $105 on average per commuter per year. 

This extra money can help fund research for better, greener energy methods. With gas prices continuing to drop, there has been a proportional decrease in interest in costly research for renewable energy like solar and wind.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, from coast to coast in the United States, solar power has been consistently growing in the past decade and shows no signs of slowing down. While, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, it only accounted for 0.5 percent of global energy in 2011, solar power has a promising future. Unlike wind power, solar power peaks when temperatures increases. Along with that, solar energy has room for much more growth than other renewable sources like hydro and wind. Solar energy can adapt to newer forms of technology and benefit from them much more than other renewables.

The biggest barrier for solar energy is the cost of installing it, according to Michael Levi, an expert in energy security and climate change. With federal funding generated from this small increase in a gas tax, research and installation of more solar energy plants would do nothing but help countries produce cheaper energy and reduce carbon emissions.

The federal government taking advantage of these low prices can be a useful step in advancing technology toward more eco-friendly energy sources. In 2012, according to the Washington Post, there was $21 billion in incentives for renewable energy. Providing an extra $13.5 billion would be a huge amount of extra funding that research facilities all across the globe desperately need.

While plummeting gas prices may currently seem great for the average consumer, we must pay caution to our environment. A small increase in gas taxes while the prices are low will only help to ensure that we are making an effort to help our ecosystem.

Ben Morgenstern primarily writes about education and social issues for The Pitt News.

Write to Ben at bdm46@pitt.edu.