In US, states struggle to replace fossil fuel tax revenue

By MORGAN LEE and MEAD GRUVER
Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Major energy producing states from Alaska to Pennsylvania are reaping a windfall from soaring oil and natural gas prices, stoked by the war in Ukraine and the U.S.-led ban on Russian oil imports. The boost threatens to increase state and local governments’ entrenched reliance on fossil fuels in their budgets, revenue that pays for schools, roads and policing. Officials say they realize the need to move toward cleaner energy sources that don’t contribute to climate change, but also say they will need a way to replace the tax revenue their states and communities receive from fossil fuel extraction.