Tag Archives: fuel prices

King says gas-price hike from ‘cap-and-trade’ auctions will hurt drivers even more

Sen. Curtis King, Republican leader on the Senate Transportation Committee, said the state’s latest carbon-pricing auction will cause gasoline prices to continue rising, further hurting Washington drivers and businesses. This will also raise the prices for all things being shipped, which is about every item consumers use, further adding to high inflation.

“Since the carbon auctions authorized by the state’s cap-and-trade program began this year, nearly $1.5 billion has been collected – and much of that money ultimately comes from drivers who have to endure paying more and more at the pump. It isn’t fair to them,” said King. “It’s $1.5 billion that they could be using to improve their quality of life.”

King said the most recent auction, held by the Department of Ecology on Aug. 30, is expected to eventually bring the cumulative gas-price hike associated with cap-and-trade – formally called the Climate Commitment Act – to over 51 cents a gallon.

King, R-Yakima, said the gas-price hikes caused by the cap-and-trade program are like a regressive tax because they take a bigger financial bite from lower-income citizens.

“Low-income drivers are not as able to withstand these ever-rising gas prices,” said King. “As gas prices climb, more people in Washington are unable to afford to drive to work or drive to the doctor’s office or do other things that require a car. The cap-and-trade program is punishing the low-income people in our state.

“Governor Inslee’s policy is trying to impoverish Washingtonians into changing their driving behavior by making them stop driving gas-powered cars, and at the same time attempting to make it more expensive for many people to heat their homes because cap-and-trade will raise natural-gas prices as well,” added King. “This program championed by our governor is being unnecessarily cruel to many people in our state by causing fuel and heating prices to soar.”

King said that recent figures on state carbon emissions will not be available for quite some time, noting that DOE’s last report on emission data is from 2019, with the next report due in late 2024.

“How can anyone even assess whether cap-and-trade and all of Inslee’s other environmental programs are affecting air quality without the latest data? 2019 is a long time ago,” said King.

King noted only 11 states have regular gas prices over $4 a gallon – Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

“While most Americans are enjoying gas prices below $4 a gallon, Washington drivers are having to pay $5 or more a gallon, due to the cap-and-trade program, and it is only going to get worse,” said King.

King says Democrats’ attack on oil companies is attempt to steer focus from cap-and-trade’s effect on nation-leading gas prices

Sen. Curtis King, the ranking Republican on the Senate Transportation Committee, said Gov. Jay Inslee is trying to deflect criticism aimed at him due to the major role that the state’s cap-and-trade program has played in Washington having the highest gas prices in the nation.

Inslee announced today that he wants legislation in 2024 targeting oil companies. King pointed out how Inslee pushed for the cap-and-trade program, which went into effect on Jan. 1 as part of the Climate Commitment Act passed by a Democrat-controlled Legislature in 2021.

“We have known since 2021, when the Climate Commitment Act was approved, that gas prices would rise significantly once the cap-and-trade program went into effect. That is exactly what has happened,” said King, R-Yakima. “It’s been much more than just ‘pennies a gallon,’ as the governor promised months ago. Several analysts reached the conclusion that cap-and-trade and other new environmental laws would raise the price of gas by 45-50 cents a gallon.

“The governor’s argument that oil companies are gouging gas consumers is not realistic. The plan all along was to create the cap-and-trade program and the low-carbon fuel standard so fuel prices would become a financial burden for drivers and get them to drive less and buy less fuel. Now that the cap-and-trade program is in place and causing gas prices to skyrocket, drivers are bitterly complaining about it, so the governor and his allies are trying to shift the blame instead of admitting that this is what they wanted all along.

“The governor today said he wants to find relief at the pump for drivers. If he really is serious, he’d show a willingness to alter the cap-and-trade program, if not eliminate it. Instead, the governor once again is demonizing oil companies instead of taking responsibility for the spike in gas prices this year.

“Blaming the brief pipeline shutdown for the highest gas prices in the nation is nonsense,” added King. “Gas prices have been on a steady rise since January, and it is caused by the cap-and-trade program. Our neighboring states, Oregon ($4.588 a gallon for regular gas) and Idaho ($3.892), have significantly lower gas prices than here in Washington ($4.928). They don’t have cap-and-trade. It’s clear that our state’s cap-and-trade program is why Washington has the highest gas prices in America.”

King noted that only six states currently have regular gas prices over $4 a gallon – Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

“While most of America is enjoying gas prices below $4 a gallon, Washington drivers have had to pay about $5 a gallon for several weeks. Thanks to the Inslee cap-and-trade program, prices here are bound to only keep climbing,” said King.

 

Republican senators unveil ‘Power Washington’ energy plan

Energy package focuses on seven major goals, including keeping energy costs low

Three members of the Senate Republican Caucus today unveiled a comprehensive energy plan that offers fair and reliable solutions to benefit all Washingtonians.

“It’s time for our state to create better energy policies,” said 14th District Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, who is the ranking Republican on both the Senate Labor, Commerce and Tribal Affairs Committee and the Senate Transportation Committee. “Our Power Washington plan is the first step in taking a more reasonable approach when it comes to all phases of energy in our state.”

King was joined at a news conference unveiling the Power Washington energy package by Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and 7th District Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy.

“For too long, Washington families and businesses have been forced to endure the costs of unaffordable and questionable policies that have given us larger energy bills, less energy security, and little environmental improvement,” said Braun, who serves the 20th District. “We need to take a different approach when it comes to energy in our state before fuel and electric power prices break the backs of Washingtonians. This package would help put us on a better path to reasonable policies and reliable energy.”

Short, who is ranking Republican on the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee as well as Senate Republican floor leader, said their energy package aims to help reverse energy inflation, including record gas prices, in the state, as well as strengthen Washington’s threatened power grid.

“I’m excited to get to work with my colleagues across the aisle and the governor’s office addressing these solutions during the 2023 legislative session,” said Short, R-Addy. “Our goal should be to improve and protect our energy systems and infrastructure with innovative technology that is both reliable and cost effective.”

The “Power Washington” plan includes proposals that aim to meet seven specific goals:

  • Help people access different kinds of alternative vehicles, such as hybrids and hydrogen.
    • Incentivize passenger and commercial hybrid-vehicle adoption.
    • Promote hydrogen fuel as an additional alternative option.
    • Allow state agencies to purchase vehicles that best suit their needs.

 

  • Preserve, improve, and expand Washington’s clean hydropower system.
    • Build and upgrade hydropower facilities to meet the state’s clean energy goals.
    • Keep Washington’s dams in good shape.
    • Show support for the four federal dams on the lower Snake River.
    • Find practical ways to support endangered fish and other species.

 

  • Enable the capture of carbon and invest in Washington’s working forests and natural resources to maximize carbon absorption.
    • Prioritize capturing carbon.
    • Invest in Washington’s forest health to control wildfires.
    • Replant burned areas and actively manage forests.

 

  • Slash high fuel prices for drivers.
    • Put a cap on cap-and-tax.
    • Track the price impacts of fuel standards.
    • Untie a key fuel tax from inflation.

 

  • Ensure that the transition to new energy technology is environmentally responsible.
    • Restore local review for solar and wind-farm projects.
    • Require wind turbine blades to be recycled.
    • Establish a greater understanding of the lifetime impacts of vehicle batteries.
    • Jump-start the recycling program for solar panels.

 

  • Shore up the state’s electric grid to keep providing affordable and reliable power.
    • Create more flexibility for meeting emissions goals.
    • Stick with one electricity requirement, not many different requirements.
    • Embrace local “in-house” energy solutions.
    • Promote the manufacturing and use of advanced nuclear technology.

 

  • Keep energy costs low so people can be secure in their homes and businesses.
    • Provide energy relief for vital community services.
    • Encourage affordable and reliable natural gas heat at home.
    • Empower people by removing limits on the types of appliances they can buy.

The 2023 legislative session is scheduled to last 105 days, starting Jan. 9 and ending April 23.