An average Washington family with two cars pays an extra $600 dollars a year in fuel and home heating costs for the year 2023 based on price increases related to The Climate Commitment Act law signed by Gov. Jay Inslee, according to the Washington Policy Center.
Washington Policy Center environmental policy director, Todd Myers, tells KVI that his calculations for the extra costs paid by Washington residents are based on three factors: the price of gasoline in Washington, the average amount of miles driven with a moderately fuel-efficient vehicle and the price of home heating with natural gas. If you drive a gas guzzler, you’re paying more. If you drive a hybrid or EV, you’re paying less.
To hear Myers interview with KVI host John Carlson, click the play button below. Myers says a household driving just one car a year with average miles and fuel efficiency pays over $300 a year more.
The increased costs in Washington are connected to a law called The Climate Commitment Act (CCA) which was approved by the Washington Legislature and signed by Gov. Inslee. It created a carbon fuel pricing system known as “cap and invest” which went into effect in January 2023.
The cap and invest law creates a permit system to burn fossil fuels. Fossil fuel companies must buy permits for their product to be consumed, like gasoline for cars and trucks or for natural gas to heat homes and cook food. Propane gas and diesel fuel are also included in this permit auction system. The permits are auctioned off quarterly. According to the Washington Department of Ecology, the cap and invest law has generated over $2 billion to date in tax money paid for by fossil fuel consumers. By law, this revenue must be invested in critical climate and air quality projects throughout the state, prioritizing environmental justice.
On the November 5th, 2024 general election ballot, Washington voters will decide on Initiative 2117, which would ask voters to keep or reject the “cap and invest” carbon pricing system. I-2117 sponsors collected over 400,00 voter signatures to force a statewide vote on the cap and invest law because of concerns that higher gasoline, diesel, natural gas and propane prices in Washington were becoming too expensive and contributing to higher prices like groceries or other products that need to be trucked and transported to stores.
