Record Gas Prices Expose Washington’s Accountability Problem

As tensions in Iran and the broader Middle East continue to drive up oil prices nationwide, families across the country are seeing higher costs at the pump. But as Washington families consider travel plans heading into the Memorial Day weekend, the pain here is significantly worse.

According to AAA, Washington’s average gas price is now pushing $6 per gallon, more than a $1.20 higher than the national average and roughly 40 cents higher than neighboring Oregon. Over the last couple of weeks, the state has set several all-time records for the highest statewide gas price average ever recorded.

Washington currently has the second-highest gas prices in the nation. For stretches of last year, it ranked number one.

State leaders often blame outside factors when prices spike. International conflict. Oil companies. Seasonal demand. Refinery maintenance. While those issues do matter, they fail to explain why Washington residents consistently pay dramatically more than nearly everyone else in the country.

The real answer is much closer to home.

Washington’s Climate Commitment Act has become one of the largest drivers of higher fuel costs in the state. The program, which functions as a cap-and-trade system on carbon emissions, forces fuel suppliers to purchase emissions allowances at state-run auctions. Those costs are then passed directly onto consumers.

Even supporters of the program initially acknowledged it would raise gas prices. They just claimed the increases would be relatively small – former Governor Jay Inslee famously said it would cost “pennies.”  Instead, Washington drivers have seen some of the highest fuel costs in America while the state continues to layer on additional taxes and regulations.

Washington also already imposes the third-highest gas taxes in the country. Between state gas taxes, climate program costs, and other fees, every trip to work, school, or the grocery store becomes more expensive for working families. Importantly, the cost penalty on diesel is even higher, which drives up the cost for everything on your store shelf, as well as what it takes to produce those goods.

The CCA and gas taxes alone add more than $1 per gallon to the cost of fuel in Washington.

And what exactly are taxpayers getting in return?

According to the latest annual highway report from the Reason Foundation, Washington ranks 48th in the nation for road performance and cost-effectiveness. Despite collecting enormous amounts in transportation revenue, the state continues to struggle with congestion, road conditions, maintenance costs, and overall highway efficiency.

Drivers are effectively paying luxury prices for bargain-bin infrastructure.

At the same time, the environmental results lawmakers promised are failing to materialize.

A recent report highlighted by the Washington Policy Center revealed the state quietly released carbon emissions data from 2022 more than two years later than legally required. The numbers showed Washington is nowhere near on track to meet its aggressive emissions reduction goals for 2030.

Despite years of costly mandates, taxes, and restrictions, emissions reductions continue to lag far behind the targets politicians sold to the public. Yet rather than reassess policies that are clearly falling short, state leaders continue demanding even more sacrifice from taxpayers.

That pattern has become increasingly familiar in Washington state government.

Lawmakers impose new taxes. Costs rise. Promised outcomes fail to materialize. Accountability disappears. Then, taxpayers are told the solution is even more spending, even more regulation, and even more taxes.

Washington already ranks near the bottom nationally for overall tax competitiveness, sitting 45th in the country according to national rankings. And that does not yet fully account for the new state income tax signed into law earlier this year by Gov. Bob Ferguson, which still faces legal and political challenges before taking effect.

The broader issue goes well beyond gas prices.

Washington residents are paying some of the highest taxes and fees in the nation while increasingly receiving poor value in return. Meanwhile, state government consistently resists transparency and avoids accountability when programs fail to deliver promised results.

Families understand the difference between investment and waste. They know when they are being asked to pay more while getting less.

Right now, many Washington drivers are staring at $5 gas prices and asking a very simple question:

Where is all the money going?