Fuel Tax Relief
From the Ag Information Network, I'm Bob Larson. Another painful bump at the pump is on the way, and state Senate Republicans say it is time for the governor to step in.
Senator Judy Warnick wants Governor Bob Ferguson to suspend the state Climate Commitment Act carbon pricing scheme before an automatic 2% gas tax-hike hits on July 1 …
WARNICK … “I want the Governor to understand the impact that these fuel charges have. He could take leadership and give us a break with fuel prices.”
The Moses Lake Republican says while national gas prices are dropping, state policies leave Washingtonians paying nearly a dollar-forty above the national average, and that adds up quickly for farmers …
WARNICK … “My constituents, a lot of them, are agricultural users. You have the diesel that you’re buying for your tractors and diesel that you’re buying for your truck. We need some relief.”
The state of New York, under the leadership of a Democrat governor and legislature, opted to pull back from its carbon scheme because of increased costs at the pump.
Warnick says it is urgent for Governor Ferguson and the legislative Democrat majority to take action that drops Washington’s inflated gas and diesel prices closer to the national average.
This newly enacted indexing mechanism permanently ties fuel fees to inflation, guaranteeing annual hikes.
The state-level increase comes as federal efforts to free transit through the Strait of Hormuz are resulting in lower global crude costs and falling national gas prices, leaving Washington drivers locked out of that relief.
Compounding the issue, the Washington Department of Ecology announced Tuesday that Director Casey Sixkiller and Governor
Furgeson intend to sign an agreement to link Washington’s carbon market with those of California and the Canadian
Province of Québec, which happened yesterday, creating a bureaucratic integration process that officials admit will do nothing to provide immediate much-needed relief.
