I am happy for all those people in Maine, the U.S. and all over the world whose standard of living has gone up because oil prices have gone down.

But I am depressed by the lack of response to this great opportunity to fix what ails the state and nation: decaying infrastructure and dependence on fossil fuels.

Now is the perfect time to raise taxes on gasoline, heating oil, jet fuel, propane and natural gas without hurting anyone significantly. The public is enjoying fuel costs that are only half what they were a few years ago. People could easily handle a little extra tax.

The proceeds could be used to repair or even improve the severely neglected infrastructure. Better to raise taxes now than to wait a few years until the nation’s infrastructure is truly in emergency condition and oil prices have gone up, which they are certain to do.

Even for those who are in denial about climate change, it makes sense.

It would also be smart to invest some of those increased tax proceeds into research and development of alternative energy sources. The U.S. could be, and should be, a world leader in those technologies, just as this nation has led the world in almost every other technology field.

The U.S. showed the world how to do fracking, now it should show the world how to do solar energy storage.

Ben Lounsbury, Auburn

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