04-01-2000

ENVIRONMENT: Senate Pedal to the Floor on Gas Tax

Senate Republicans this week cleared the way for a floor vote early next
week on legislation that could give consumers some relief from mounting
prices at the gas pump. The bill would roll back the 4.3-cent-per-gallon
gas tax imposed in 1993 and temporarily rescind all 18 cents' worth of gas
taxes if average prices top $2 per gallon. Some Senate GOP leaders hope to
exploit rising consumer frustration by blaming the gas crisis on the
Clinton Administration. In particular, Republicans are seeking to soil
Vice President Al Gore for his 1993 tie-breaking Senate vote to impose the
4.3-cent tax and to tar Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, a possible Gore
running mate. Most Democrats oppose the gas tax repeal and drilled Senate
Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., for moving the bill directly to the
Senate floor. Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle, D-S.D., complained
that the GOP maneuver "end[ed] a debate that has not even
started." But a handful of Democrats from oil-producing states are
expected to cross ranks and support the GOP bill. In the end, the focus
will be on a group of Senate Republicans who fear that removing the gas
tax will devastate the nation's highway repair account, which is fueled by
the tax. House Republicans are waiting to see what the Senate
does.


Brody Mullins/CongressDaily

National Journal