As a Hispanic American and an enthusiastic supporter of President Obama, as well as a committed Democrat who has devoted much of my career to public service, it may come as a surprise to some that I oppose the president’s plan to raise the federal crude oil tax by $10.25 a barrel – the latest tax policy by this administration to single out the energy industry.  First, because I have long advocated policies that are both pro-environment and pro-jobs; those positions are, in fact, complementary.  And second, because this proposal would do nothing to further safeguard the environment – even while it will have an adverse effect on the economy – will damage an industry that provides an enormous amount of jobs and revenue to the state of Colorado. This policy will make it harder for so many Americans – especially those in lower income and minority groups – to survive and prosper.

I have devoted my entire professional life to fostering economic empowerment, equality, and growth, especially for those at the lower end of the spectrum. My two presidential appointments, my service as the head of Colorado’s largest state agency, the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), and my decades as an attorney specializing in regulatory affairs, provides me with a unique perspective on the intersection of government and private industry. It has always been my belief that the two can, and should, coexist in complementary fashion. Further, I have always been guided by the principle that government should be focused on creating jobs.

The oil and gas industry in Colorado creates a plethora of jobs, somewhere on the order of 31,000 of them. These jobs are responsible for supporting individuals and families throughout the state. The oil and gas industry injects, on average, about $31 billion into Colorado’s economy each and every year. Why would we jeopardize those jobs? Why would we threaten that economic engine that provides so much benefit to so many? We should not.

Of course, raising taxes on the oil and gas industry won’t just increase the burden for those companies who operate in that sector. It will also have an adverse impact on anyone who drives an automobile, or heats their house with fuel, or transports their goods to market. In other words, raise the cost of refining oil, and you will raise the cost of gasoline at the pump, or fuel at the meter. That’s just a foundational rule, Economics 101.

Additionally, this latest tax is part of an unfortunate pattern we’ve seen by the Obama administration to play favorites with tax policy while hindering the growth of the energy industry. A case in point has been the administration’s intent in almost every annual budget proposal to remove tax deductions to write off legitimate business expenses solely for oil and gas producers even though virtually all other manufacturers take these deductions.

Another elementary lesson of economics says that if you raise the cost of fuel, you will raise the cost of common staples, necessary goods like food and clothing. We have had this debate before, and as several studies have shown, higher energy costs are borne disproportionately by those who can least afford them. Let’s not increase the burden on our working poor, already struggling hard to survive in this economy.

I applaud every effort our government makes to foster a climate in which individuals, small businesses, and even larger employers can thrive and prosper. Rather than singling out an entire industry – especially one that has such an outsized economic impact – for punishment, I think the government should instead consider efforts underway to comprehensively reform our tax system.

It has been 30 years since the U.S. tax code has undergone any significant restructuring. In that time, it has been allowed to multiply into a bloated, increasingly difficult to navigate mess at more than 3.9 million words and over 14,000 pages. Compliance, for individuals as well as the businesses that employ them, has blossomed into an entire economy, consuming more than 6 billion labor hours annually all on its own. It’s needlessly adversarial to enterprise. It’s embarrassing. And, it is unsustainable.

For the benefit of Americans in general, and Coloradans specifically, I hope you will join me in asking President Obama to reconsider his proposed punitive tax measures on the energy industry. And, I hope, too, you will join me in supporting Senator Bennet’s efforts to pass comprehensive tax reform. We need a lower, simpler rate, one that does not unfairly penalize private business, one that does not pick winners and losers in the marketplace.