If Michiganders want to fight climate change, fix the damn roads, and still have money for schools we need to increase the gas tax.

At 409 parts million of CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere, our available time to reduce it and other greenhouse gas emissions, before unimaginable environmental and economic consequences ensue, is quickly being lost. Our public policy must be shaped in this context. We are at war and sacrifices must be made to win.

Reasons for increasing Michigan’s gasoline and diesel tax also go beyond reducing CO2 emissions. This year the state will appropriate $150 million of income tax revenue to the Michigan Transportation Fund, in 2020 this appropriation increases to $325 million and in 2021 it increases to $600 million. These dollars are for road agencies only and not public transportation agencies. These are income tax revenue dollars that could and should be funding education and clean water infrastructure.

At Michigan’s 2018 transportation fuel consumption quantity, a 5.9 cent per gallon increase in gasoline and diesel tax would raise $325 million and a 10.9 increase would raise $600 million. This transportation fuel tax increase is needed to facilitate greater fuel efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, pay for roads and subsidize public transportation (9% of the fuel tax is for public transportation agencies as stipulated in Michigan’s constitution).