The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments estimates that D.C. emits 65.6 million metric tons of environmentally harmful carbon dioxide every year. That’s more than many countries, including Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Sweden and Switzerland, and more per capita than New York and San Francisco. Fortunately, Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) recently introduced a proposal that would help mitigate transportation-related pollution with an environmentally-sound taxi fleet.
Wells’ proposal would give taxi companies or drivers a one-time $2,000 business income tax credit for purchasing a hybrid or alternative-fuel taxicab. The credit, coupled with the lower fuel costs associated with hybrids, would present taxi companies with a strong incentive to make the switch.
Wells, whose proposed goals are a 5 percent hybrid taxi fleet by 2009 and 50 percent hybrid fleet by 2017, is urging Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) to devise a clear plan for increasing the number of hybrid cabs in the district. Mayor Fenty should heed Wells’ call. This is a goal that is both ambitious and achievable, but it needs strong backing from high-profile officials in order to be realized.
Unfortunately, in order to qualify for the tax credit, the proposal requires that “the owner reside, the business be incorporated, and the vehicle titled and operated in the District of Columbia.” Approximately 80 percent of D.C. cab drivers live outside the city, according to The Examiner.
Local governments in Maryland and Virginia—where most of the daily commuters contributing to D.C.’s pollution problem live—have a responsibility to follow the District’s lead and mitigate their citizens’ contributions to traffic pollution by making the hybrids’ impact more widespread.
The District must take environmental problems seriously and start devising practical solutions, and Wells’ proposal is a step in the right direction.
But becoming a greener city can’t end there, and D.C. should keep looking for other solutions to the traffic and pollution problems. Bike-sharing programs, for example, have been successful in major European cities like Paris and Copenhagen, as well as smaller American cities including Portland, Me. and Boulder. Hopefully, hybrid cabs are only the beginning of an environmentally-friendly future for the nation’s capital.
