PUYALLUP… Washington drivers are paying around $1.20 more than the national average for a gallon of gasoline. Sen. Chris Gildon says Gov. Bob Ferguson can reduce that by around 55 cents almost immediately by suspending the costly carbon-related policy known as the Climate Commitment Act.
“The governor acknowledged more than a year ago how living here is unaffordable for many. It hasn’t gotten better, and the cap-and-tax approach in the CCA is among the reasons. He should put that policy on pause until economic conditions stabilize and fuel prices return to more sustainable levels,” said Gildon, R-Puyallup.
Ferguson inherited the controversial policy from his predecessor, Jay Inslee, who had pushed Democrat legislators to adopt it. The cost of buying carbon “allowances” from the state shot Washington gas prices upward as soon as the law took full effect in 2023, and they’ve remained among the highest in the nation ever since.
That places a disproportionate burden on working families, commuters, seniors, and small businesses, Gildon wrote in a letter to Ferguson requesting a pause of the CCA. (Click here for the letter)
While the state has raked in billions of dollars from the law in less than three years, watchdogs like the Washington Policy Center’s Todd Myers assert it is not delivering on the promises supporters made – like how the policy would contribute to a healthy environment for all Washington communities. Inslee’s claim that the effect on gas prices would be “pennies,” if anything, also turned out to be completely false.
Gildon’s letter made it clear he is not looking to abandon the goals of environmental stewardship and responsible resource management.
“But public policy must also account for affordability and economic realities,” he wrote. “Many families, particularly those in rural and suburban communities, do not have practical alternatives to driving and are being forced to absorb escalating transportation costs simply to get to work, school, medical appointments, and daily obligations.
“Temporary relief from costs driven by the CCA would show that government recognizes the economic impact of the need for balance and flexibility during a period of sustained financial strain on Washington households and employers.”
Ferguson can pause the law simply by declaring an emergency, Gildon explained.