The price of Washington’s carbon emission allowances reached an all-time high in the state’s fourth auction last week, with revenue from the program nearing $1.5 billion in its first year. The revenue has far outpaced early estimates, and now a group that helped advocate for and pass the legislation that created the carbon-pricing market is […]
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More pricey carbon allowances sell amid pain at the pump
A special pool of carbon allowances was auctioned by the Department of Ecology last week and the results figure to pour figurative gasoline on the debate over the cap-and-trade system’s impact on the price of actual gasoline. This latest auction stems from the state’s Climate Commitment Act which caps the total amount of CO2 that […]
WA’s carbon-pricing program nears $1 billion in revenue, far outpacing early estimates
Washington’s latest auction of carbon-emission allowances raked in $62.5 million last week, with revenue from the state’s carbon-pricing program now nearing a billion dollars and far outpacing early estimates. The state Department of Ecology announced Wednesday the results of its special auction held last week because the previous quarterly auction in May exceeded a “trigger” […]
Let’s have an honest conversation about energy costs in WA
As lawmakers adopted the state’s Climate Commitment Act, the business community warned of the price increases it would levy on consumers. It’s simple economics: Raise prices on commodities upstream, and those increases get passed along the supply chain. Public testimony on the Climate Commitment Act, the Clean Energy Transformation Act and other greenhouse gas-reduction policies […]
Washington gas prices among highest in the nation due to taxes and new emissions program
WASHINGTON — Filling up your tank is more painful than it was just a month ago. … Drivers are paying nearly 50 cents a gallon in state and federal taxes. That’s the third highest rate in the country. Prices are also being boosted by a new program that went into effect this year which puts […]
Opinion | Kris Johnson: To lower gas prices, stop pointing fingers and start fixing climate act
It should come as no surprise to anyone that gas prices in Washington are going up. The Climate Commitment Act’s cap-and-trade program went into effect in January, and by June, our state had earned the dubious distinction of having the highest gas prices in the country for the first time ever. This is no coincidence. […]
Editorial: When it comes to high fuel prices, Washington tries harder
Back in 1962, Avis Car Rental tried to turn its position as the country’s second-largest rental agency into a positive by adopting as its slogan, “We try harder.” A whole ad campaign was adopted carrying various taglines along the theme of “We’re Number 2, we try harder.” We’ve often thought of those advertisements as we […]
WA lawmakers must fix carbon program that’s hiking gas prices
Washington state now has the highest gas prices in the country and there’s no doubt the price at the pump is hurting families. People living in rural parts of the state, especially, can’t change their driving habits on a whim. If they live 20 miles away from town, taking public transportation isn’t an option. And […]
On the road between ‘hogwash and baloney’ on WA’s high gas prices
“The oil and gas industry projections around any of this are halfway between hogwash and baloney.” This was Gov. Jay Inslee, last winter, talking about the prospect that the state’s new climate change policy would cause a significant rise in gasoline prices. “This is going to have a minimal impact, if any. Pennies. We are […]
We Asked for High Gas Prices? — We Got ’em
Washington now has the highest gasoline prices of all 50 states, the Seattle Times reported June 21. The story was broken the day before by the San Diego Union, which offered it as a good-news story: California’s prices were no longer the highest. … The newspaper stories say the cause of the high prices in […]