From a Washington Post article-
"When Clinton took office, Vice President Al Gore argued for a big gas-tas increase to promote conservation, and many administration members agreed, Panetta [Clinton budget director, Leon...] recalled. But he said, "there were also those like Treasury Secretary [Lloyd] Bentsen who said, 'Are you out of your mind?'"
"By the time Congress was done, what started out as a 50-cent a gallon proposal ended up as a 4.3-cent-a-gallon increase. Since then, just to keep up with inflation, the tax would have had to rise 6 cents, but it hasn't budged."
A 2006 article, Steven Mufson, "Talk of Raising Gas Tax Is Just That," Oct. 18, 2006.

Looks like Gore was asking for $0.50, not $2.50, but that was still too much for congressmen who wanted reelection.

Note- the gas tax for the U. S., see previous post, does not include state or city levies.