Rep. William Straus Is Spot-On [PHIL-OSOPHY]

Did you hear about the new TCI gas tax?

The Transportation Climate Initiative is an agreement with several northeastern and mid-Atlantic states to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector. I believe this is part of a larger effort by the special interest groups to increase the price of fossil fuels by putting a price on carbon that's also known as a carbon tax.

Governor Baker signed Massachusetts up. They claim the proposal would put a price on the carbon content of motor gasoline and diesel that fuel distributors have to pay, excluding jet and boat fuel, but they can't say how they are going to reduce carbon emissions with the money.

Rep. William Straus (D-Mattapoisett), the House chairman of the Transportation Committee, described TCI as a gas tax. He said, "All states raise their gas tax the same amount at the same time and agree not to call it a gas tax, but I think the public is smarter than that."

He's on the money! Rep. Straus, who's not opposed to TCI, basically said it might be great for the environment, but it isn't a transportation financing solution, and again, I find his assessment to be accurate.

Straus is just telling it like it is, unlike so many others on Beacon Hill.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.