State Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, today said it is urgent for Gov. Bob Ferguson and the legislative Democrat majority to take action that drops Washington’s inflated gas and diesel prices closer to the national average.
Warnick, chair of Washington’s Senate Republicans, issued her call for relief today, seven days ahead of the July 1 automatic 2% gas-tax increase.
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 Straits 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 Ferguson intend to sign an agreement on June 25 to link Washington’s carbon market with those of California and Québec. This will create a bureaucratic integration process that officials admit will do nothing to provide immediate much-needed relief.
“While the rest of the country looks forward to relief at the pump as global supply chains reopen, Washingtonians are being left behind because the state’s Democrat leaders are standing in the way,” Warnick said. “This complex, out-of-state linkage deal won’t even see the light of day this year. The governor has the executive tools right now to provide immediate relief to our citizens, which include suspending policies that have artificially inflated Washington fuel prices. We need him to use them. Moving forward without providing this relief directly adds to the financial burden being forced onto working families.”
As a long-time champion for Central Washington, Warnick emphasized that these compounding energy policies hit rural families and the agricultural sector hardest. Farmers face evaporating margins due to steep fuel costs for machinery and transport. Meanwhile, rural residents without public transit face an unfair additional financial burden, paying for basic travel. These state-driven fuel costs ultimately spike grocery prices, worsening the food affordability crisis for all Washingtonians and placing local producers at a global competitive disadvantage.
According to AAA, Washington drivers face some of the highest fuel costs in the nation, averaging $5.30 per gallon for regular unleaded. That is $1.37 above the national average of $3.93 per gallon. Warnick points out that this steep premium is driven directly by state policies, including a compounding baseline gas tax rising to 56.5 cents on July 1, the Climate Commitment Act’s carbon pricing program (estimated to add 52 to 56 cents/gallon), and a costlier fuel-formulation standard aimed at reducing emissions.
Warnick emphasized that this crisis is entirely policy-driven, and the executive branch has clear options to provide immediate financial relief.
“We do not have to watch our agricultural economy and rural communities take this hit,” Warnick said. “The governor should step in and ease this pain, and show the leadership our state needs right now.”
According to Warnick, rather than letting these burdens compound, Ferguson could immediately choose to utilize his emergency authority to suspend the Climate Commitment Act’s carbon program and the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard compliance premiums.
He could also work with lawmakers to permanently dismantle the automatic 2% annual inflation-indexing mechanism.
She highlighted that New York, under the leadership of a Democrat governor and Democrat-controlled legislature, has recently opted to pull back from its own carbon scheme because of increased costs at the pump for New Yorkers.
“Washingtonians need and deserve the same relief,” said Warnick. “Governor Ferguson and his allies in the Democrat-controlled legislature must address the reality of the affordability crisis in rural Washington.
“When Washingtonians are paying some of the highest gas prices in the country, it isn’t an accident; it’s a choice made by Olympia. It is time for Governor Ferguson to act and give our farmers, ranchers, and rural families the breathing room they desperately need.”