Giffords makes push on energy legislation

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Tucson) unveiled a bill on Friday that would lower the cost of diesel fuel nationwide. 

Giffords announced the Diesel Tax Parity Act at the AGM Container Controls facility in Tucson on Friday. The bill would lower the federal tax on diesel fuels, which currently stands at $0.243 per gallon, to the level of the gasoline tax, which is $0.183 per gallon.

"The higher tax on diesel fuel means higher business and consumer costs – with today’s economy, that doesn’t make sense,” Giffords said at the event. “It is a holdover from the days when diesel was less expensive than gasoline. Those days are gone." Giffords said that with diesel prices skyrocketing, "small businesses that depend on diesel-fueled vehicles are bearing the brunt of this burden. My bill is intended to provide some much-needed relief.”

The bill is the House companion to the legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine).