Carbon Tax to fund FasTracks

It's no longer news that vehicular emissions are major contributors to global warming. The EPA announced yesterday that the agency would now track GHG emissions from a variety of industries, including the requirement that automakers disclose the anticipated GHG emissions from vehicles in their fleets.
Basking in this new political enlightenment, I'm surprised at how flickle the Front Range mayors here in Colorado have become over FasTracks funding. Clearly, the Front Range is in desparate need of a train system. But we cannot let sagging tax revenues bury this crucial project. Even New Mexico, under Gov. Bill Richardson's persistence, pushed through a passenger rail system from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. The so-called Rail Runner recently added another train to serve its rising demand.
Seemingly unrelated, the Boulder City Council decided to review its carbon tax this week - the first municipal tax on carbon in the U.S. - over concerns it is not doing enough. The website Boulder Carbon Tax Tracker is soliciting fairly balanced opinions from journalists and experts as to the effects of the tax.
Regardless of how Boulder decides to proceed, Hickenlooper and his fellow Front Range mayors should take a moment to step back and see the bigger picture. A carbon tax in the Front Range could help accomplish two goals: 1) provide the needed revenue to meet the FasTracks budget shortfall; and 2) create incentives for the public to use public transportation. By forcing those who drive the most to pay for lightrail lines to Golden, Broomfield, Boulder, and DIA, the Front Range would have correctly internalized the costs of driving. In the end, the tax will increase demand for FasTracks, thereby making the project itself more successful.
With public understanding of the externalized costs of cars arguably at its highest ever, now is definitely the time to think creatively and exploit that awareness of inter-connectivity. Raising taxes is never popular, especially in tough times. But if those mayors are willing to raise the FasTracks tax, it shows some political will exists to do the right thing.