Gas and diesel prices in Washington state have hit record highs over the past few months. And in a state that already has one of the highest average prices in the country, the extra cost has put a strain on bottom lines. “Times are tough,” President and CEO of the Washington Trucking Association Sheri Call […]
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Welch: The gas taxes nobody voted for
On July 1, the price at every gas pump in Snohomish County ticked up by a fraction of a cent, and not one member of the Legislature had to put a name on it. That was the whole point. Washington’s state gas tax rose about 2 percent that morning, climbing to 56.5 cents a gallon. […]
Why aren’t our gas prices falling?
As crude oil prices have eased in recent weeks, motorists across much of the country have begun seeing relief at the gas pump. Not so much in Washington. While gasoline prices have declined modestly in the Evergreen State, they remain among the highest in the nation and have not fallen nearly as much as prices […]
Op-Ed: Washington state’s gas tax is going up in July and will automatically increase yearly; that’s a big problem
Washington state’s third-highest-in-the-nation gas tax is going up again on July 1, 2026. It will be the first “automatic” or “inflation-based” increase since ESHB 2711, signed by Governor Bob Ferguson in 2025. The law allows state officials to increase the gas tax by two percent every year and does not require the public or elected […]
Harger: Our leaders say they love this economy. Try affording it at $5.56 a gallon
Around here, they say a single adult needs $135,000 a year to live comfortably. One person. No kids. That ranks Seattle as the sixth-highest among any metro in America. Now hold that against another number. Across the same Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area, the median household income is about $112,000. That’s every paycheck in the house combined. The […]
Harger: Portland pays $5.19. Seattle pays $5.74. The difference has a name: the Climate Commitment Act
Seattle gas prices hit $5.74 a gallon overnight, a new all-time record according to AAA. The national average is $4.23. We are paying $1.51 more than the average American. Look next door. Idaho is paying $4.40. Same Middle East conflict. Same president. Different governor. Different policy. Oregon is even more instructive than Idaho. Same coast. […]
WATCH: Natural gas bills going up and the CCA is to blame
(The Center Square) – Thousands of Cascade Natural Gas customers can expect their power bills to go up again soon, which the utility attributes to the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) and Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA). … For homes hooked up after July 25, 2021, average monthly bills are expected to increase by 6.28%, […]
The Breaking Point: How Olympia’s math is driving working Washingtonians away
I have spent decades designing, building and running an S-Corp on the Washington coast. In the construction industry, we are used to navigating tough conditions, from relentless coastal weather to complex supply chains. But today, the biggest threat to a working business isn’t the environment; it’s the state legislature. Olympia is currently operating on a […]
Washington broke the national diesel record — and the Climate Commitment Act made it worse
Washington just set an all-time diesel price record. Then it broke it again four days later. As of Friday, the statewide average for diesel hit $6.55 per gallon, according to AAA. That is the most expensive diesel ever recorded in Washington history. … Everyone is pointing at Iran, and they are not wrong. The U.S.-Israel […]
WA drivers suffering gas prices up nearly $1 per gallon in one month
(The Center Square) – Washington drivers are paying nearly a dollar more per gallon of gas than they were a month ago. The Iran war is sending prices surging across the country, but Washington drivers are paying far more in state taxes for gasoline, mostly because of the Climate Commitment Act. … The Center Square […]