Washington passes California as most expensive state for gas: AAA

[mspart]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/washington-passes-california-expensive-state-gas-aaa/story?id=100284315

Washington state has overtaken California as the state with the highest gasoline prices.

The average price of regular gas in Washington is $4.93 a gallon, up 33 cents from the same time a month ago, according to AAA.

California's average price for regular gas is $4.86 a gallon, 7 cents cheaper than Washington, AAA data shows. The price of gas in the state is up 6 cents from this time a month ago.

California has often been the state with the highest gas prices, with drivers paying an average of $6.40 a gallon in July 2022.

While the average price of gas in Washington is $4.93, some motorists are paying over $5 for gas in some counties, according to AAA data.

The average gas price in King County, Washington, which is the home of Seattle, sits at $5.09, according to AAA. Skamania County's average price for gasoline is $5.32, the highest in the state.

The national average for gas is $3.58 as of Wednesday, according to AAA.

What could possibly explain this.   WA Gov Jay Inslee says it is two things:

1.  A critical pipeline is off line and this is drying up supply

2.   Those darned oil companies making their record profits and he is going to ensure the legislature investigates when they come back into session in Jan.  

Well, those are good theories.   I have not heard of any pipeline that has gone off line.  And the oil companies are just gouging WA state?   Not OR, not CA, not ID, not MT, not NV, not UT?    I'm not buying that. 

But what I am buying is a new climate tax that Inslee got through the legislature that causes the oil companies to buy CO2 indulgences at auction.   The expected rate for the indulgences was predicted to be roughly $0.46/gallon.   And that is about where it is at plus one of the highest gas taxes in the country.   WA taxes gas at 49.4 cents/gallon with an additional CO2 levy of 46 cents/gallon for an almost $1/gallon of tax per gallon.  

Obviously the legislature will not find that this new law is the problem.   Because they wrote that law and stated it would only add pennies to the cost of gas.   Yeah, roughly 46 pennies.   So they were not wrong, but implying very little change to the cost of gas.   

No wonder the national opinion on government doing the right thing most of the time is at an all time low.   Inslee lying through his teeth when the reason for high gas prices is obvious. 

Obviously you guys out there in the hinter-webs don't care.   I just thought it was interesting to share. 

mspart

 

[Plasmodium]

I remember giving you a little grief over the carbon tax.  You are right about that causing a rise in gas prices.  How do you address the fall in  gas tax revenue WA is experiencing?

Additionally, localized supply issues  do indeed cause large localized price increases.  We had a major refinery go off line for a few months in Denver.  It caused a 30-40 cent/gallon price hike.

[mspart]

1 hour ago, Plasmodium said:

I remember giving you a little grief over the carbon tax.  You are right about that causing a rise in gas prices.  How do you address the fall in  gas tax revenue WA is experiencing?

Additionally, localized supply issues  do indeed cause large localized price increases.  We had a major refinery go off line for a few months in Denver.  It caused a 30-40 cent/gallon price hike.

To your first paragraph, I attribute that to the high gas prices and more prevalent use of EVs reducing the purchase of gasoline.    The carbon tax or fee is not considered a gas tax and does not go for roads etc like the gas tax does.   It is essentially a slush fund for the state to do with what they like.   You would think that would be to help along renewable energy projects but it could be used for anything.   So if gas taxes are going down like you say, the CO2 fees are not included in that, which is why Inslee and his crowd are quick to say that the CO2 fees are not gas tax, but a CO2 environmental fee.  

I agree to your second paragraph.   But there has been no news about a pipeline issue that I have read or heard.   Inslee used that as one item that was causing the gas prices to be high.   His main point was the gas companies gouging the heck out of us.    That was my point about them only targeting WA, and not any other state.   That makes no sense.  If they were gouging WA, they would be gouging the other 47 contiguous states as well.  But they aren't as reflected in the national gas prices.   WA being #1 for high gas prices is strictly a result of the CO2 fee.   That's my opinion.  But I think it is backed up by facts and data. 

mspart