If you ask Jay Inslee and his fellow Democrats, it’s due to every reason other than the most obvious (and accurate) one - the extreme green policies they’ve pushed for years.
Shift Washington
Friends,
 
Washington has the highest gas tax in the nation. Let that sink in – no where else in the country are people paying more to fill up their cars than here. But – if you ask Jay Inslee and his fellow Democrats – it’s due to every reason other than the most obvious (and accurate) one -the extreme green policies they’ve pushed for years. 
 
A recent piece in Crosscut explains how conservatives point correctly to the Democrats’ cap-and-tax law as the cause. It backs up the truthful claim with insights from the Washington Policy Center’s Todd Myers. The piece even points out that Yoram Bauman, a liberal economist from Salt Lake City, admits that cap-and-trade costs are “passed on to customers at the pump.” At one point the article states,
 
“Washington’s most recent carbon cap-and-trade compliance costs raise gasoline prices by about 10 percent in the state,” said the statement emailed from Chevron spokesman Ross Allen. “The Washington program is designed to force rapid cuts to carbon intensity in a way that requires consumers to pay higher gasoline prices.”
 
But everything takes a turn when the article turns to the Inslee administration for insights as to why our gas prices are so exceptionally high. According to the Inslee administration – not himself, of course, as he has people who answer criticism for him – possible reasons for why we are number one in gas prices include:
 
  • Unknown “geopolitical events” driving up the price of crude oil (we presume that alludes to the ongoing war in Ukraine).
  • Maintenance work at our state’s refineries increasing our state’s prices.
  • Washington state gas station owners are greedier than those in the rest of the nation, leading them to set higher prices per gallon.
 
Unfortunately, Crosscut reported these ridiculous claims without even an attempt at serious rebuttals. We cannot say we are surprised. Democrats often mislead the public to divert blame away from them for their failed policies and mainstream media outlets often provide them cover.
 
That’s why outlets like Shift WA are so important. We here at Shift WA have been warning that Inslee’s cap-and-tax agenda would drive up gas prices for years. For example, back in 2015, we explained how California’s cap-and-tax scheme resulted in gas prices hikes – and how that result might just be the intention for our state under Jay Inslee’s “leadership”. 
 
We need your help to continue our work shining a light on the truth and holding Democrats accountable. Will you consider contributing of $100, $50, or $25 today?
 
Your contribution ensures we can continue our work. You cannot trust mainstream media outlets to give you the news you need to know – but you can count on us.
 
Thank you,
 
The Shift WA team