OLYMPIA, WA – Two environmental laws from the Democratic-controlled Washington State Legislature and Governor Jay Inslee that took effect January 1st are already causing fuel prices to rise, according to State Senator Mark Schoesler.
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The Ritzville Republican represents eastern Washington’s 9th Legislative District.
Schoesler was reportedly notified by the Washington Independent Energy Distributors Association that wholesale gasoline and diesel prices have risen in the State as a result of the “cap-and-tax” law and the law creating a low-carbon fuel standard. They were both passed by the Legislature in 2021 but did not take effect until recently.
Wholesale fuel numbers Schoesler saw this past week revealed gasoline prices had increased by 33.06 cents per gallon due to the “cap-and-tax” law and by 1.54 cents per gallon because of the low-carbon fuel standard. Meanwhile, the wholesale price of a gallon of diesel rose by 42.35 cents as a result of cap-and-tax and by 1.46 cents due to LCFS. He noted heating-fuel prices also have sharply increased in recent days, with more than two months of winter ahead.
“The wholesale fuel prices that I saw clearly show that ‘cap-and-tax’ and the low-carbon fuel standard are forcing fuel prices to increase at eastern Washington gas stations, and western Washington gas stations likely will see a similar hike. This contradicts claims by the governor and some of his allies that ‘cap-and-tax’ and LCFS will cause fuel prices to go up by only a few cents a gallon,” Schoesler says. “Ever since these two laws were passed by the Democrats and signed by the governor, I’ve warned that they will force fuel prices to significantly increase. Now that these laws have gone into effect, we’re seeing that they indeed are causing hikes in fuel and heating-oil prices. This will hurt nearly everyone – commuters, parents taking their kids places, truckers and delivery drivers, and those working in agriculture. These increases will act like a gas-tax hike, but with no guaranteed benefits for our roads and highways.”
