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To whom it may concern:

We need significantly higher fuel taxes if we are serious about
reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The sale of any fossil fuel
should be taxed based on the amount of greenhouse gas it emits.
One of the major reasons that greenhouse gas emissions are very
high is that fuel costs are very cheap in relation to the benefit
that they provide. Fuel taxes should incorporate the environmental
cost of burning fossil fuels into the total cost of the fuel. The
environmental costs of continuing to emit high levels of
greenhouse gases are unknown, but could be unimaginably high in
the future.  By increasing the cost of burning fossil fuels,
including coal, natural gas, and petroleum, greenhouse gas
emissions will be reduced.

I understand that a major challenge of implementing a greenhouse
gas emission tax would be public opinion; however, I do not
believe that we have any alternative. Setting the tax rate
appropriately is very important. The rate of the tax would have to
be high enough so that greenhouse gas emissions would be decreased
but not so high that fuels become completely unaffordable.  If the
tax rate were set appropriately, individuals and organizations
would seek methods to decrease their use of greenhouse
gas-emitting fuels. Higher tax rates could create economic
hardship for many people; however, phasing in the increased costs
over time would mitigate this problem.  By phasing in increased
costs, it will be easier for individuals and organizations to look
for methods of decreasing their use of greenhouse gas-emitting
fuels and to mitigate the economic effects of increased fuel
costs.  In addition, over time, increased fuel costs would promote
the development of fuel efficient technologies and also would
promote the development of alternative transportation systems,
leading to reduced emissions of greenhouse gases.

Incorporating the true costs of fossil fuels, including the
environmental costs, into the price of the fuels is the most
effective method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Sincerely,
John Mathias
Sacramento, California