Stage 1 Towards American Energy Independence

What do President George W. Bush and Senator Hillary Clinton, Texans Willy Nelson and T. Boone Pickens, and organizations as diverse as the American Conservative Union to the Sierra Club all agree on? That American energy independence isn’t just a good idea…it’s imperative. For the protection of our environment, protection of our economy, protection of our citizens from terrorism, our addiction to foreign oil must be reduced. On this all Americans can agree.

So what are we doing about it?

The quest for American energy independence will take many stages, but the first stage should be this: Stop Taxing American Grown Energy. That’s what the new citizens group STAGE 1 is all about.

When American drivers pull up to the gas pump, we pay 18.4 cents per gallon in Federal gas tax as well as state taxes between 8 and 32 cents per gallon. That’s a total of 26 to 50 cents of tax for every gallon of gasoline we pump into our cars and trucks -- as much as $20 in taxes every time we fill up a big SUV. To see what your state’s at-the-pump taxes are go to: www.STAGE1.org.

But what if you were concerned with the environment and global warming, concerned about funding terrorism through petro-dollars, concerned about creating more American jobs and lessening America’s huge foreign trade deficits? You could change your gas purchasing habits by pumping American-grown clean burning E-85 ethanol or B-85 bio-diesel.

But choose E-85 or B-85 to be pro-American, pro-environment and you’ll still pay that $20 in gas taxes for an SUV tank-full. If energy independence is so vital to America’s survivability, why do we pay the same in gas taxes regardless if we choose polluting foreign oil or clean American-grown alternatives? For everything else the government wants us to do, we get a tax break. Donate to charity, get a tax break. Take out a home mortgage, get a tax break. Shouldn’t America’s drivers be encouraged to buy American grown energy by eliminating the at-the-pump taxes on ethanol and bio-diesel?

New E-85/B-85 technologies are emerging, using everything from American grown corn, sugar, and switch grass to recycled cooking oil, cow manure and decomposing trash. There are already tax incentives (and more coming) for the production of alternative fuels. In fact, production of alternative fuels is about to double, with 78 new alternative energy refineries under construction, creating thousands of new American jobs. Even with this doubling of current production, America will be producing only one-third of the 35 billon gallon annual production called for in President Bush’s State of the Union speech.

But STAGE 1 thinks the real difference will come from consumer behavior, not corporate subsidy. The switch to home grown alternatives can happen if millions of American motorists have a reason to ask gas station attendants, “Which pump do I use that doesn’t charge me gas tax?”

Every day more of us have the option of choosing American-grown alternatives as more new cars are flex-fuel compatible. Over six million vehicles on the roads today are flex fuel and about 85% of General Motors vehicles sold in America this year will be flex-fuel. Millions more diesel vehicles can easily be converted to B-85 usage giving drivers the option to purchase a clean American alternative. Now we just need gas stations to offer it, and that will only happen if there are consumers clamoring to buy it.

Over the next several months STAGE 1 will be launching citizen’s petition drives to place on state ballots the removal of at-the-pump taxes on alternative fuels. STAGE 1 is also lobbying Congress to remove the Federal at-the-pump tax on American-grown alternative fuels.

In America, what consumers want, consumers get. Cutting the at-the-pump gas tax on American grown energy is the quickest and most effective way to create consumer demand. And every time an American driver chooses this alternative our environment will be cleaner, our economy healthier, our foreign relations stronger and less of our money will going to countries whose radical leaders wish to do us harm.

Could there possibly be an activity more deserving a tax break? On the road to American energy independence, the first stage must be this: Stop taxing American grown energy.