Fuel taxes: Enough already

We agree with Congressman Jim Gibbons, who Tuesday objected to a proposal by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to raise federal gas tax to fund restoration efforts at Lake Tahoe.

Recent reports of improved clarity reaffirm the need to protect the jewel of the Sierra to ensure it sparkles well into the future. However, as we endeavor to do this we must remember that it comes at a cost.

With gas prices soaring, the economy in limbo and the state struggling to meet a shortfall of several millions of dollars Gibbons argued that residents facing economic hardships should not be hit again.

Even better, Gibbons offered up a solution. The Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act was created as a vehicle to offer up for sale lands owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management near Las Vegas in exchange for protecting environmentally sensitive lands.

If Lake Tahoe doesn't qualify as "environmentally sensitive" then one could argue no land in Nevada does.

Gas prices are averaging $1.73 per gallon nationwide and prices for regular unleaded gas in the Carson City area are hovering around the record $2-a-gallon mark. Add to this the sin taxes proposed by Gov. Kenny Guinn to help balance the state's budget and it's clear Nevadans are destined to feel a double whammy in their wallets.

Gibbons' opposition to the gas tax proposal is deserving of applause and and his promises to continue to push for federal funding to protect Lake Tahoe deserving of support.