Some call on WA to suspend gas tax amid high fuel prices. Is it on the table?

The price at the pump in Washington is too high, some residents argue — a feeling that’s spurred multiple pushes asking officials to help lower gas costs.

Fuel prices have been higher nationwide amid the war in Iran.

Patrick De Haan, a petroleum analyst with the gas station-search service GasBuddy, said Thursday that Washington is currently home to the second-highest gas prices in the nation, behind only California. Here gas is about $5.73 a gallon now, he said, while it fetches $6.06 per gallon in the Golden State.

“Washington, it’s certainly been a mainstay towards the top of the list now, ever since the cap-and-invest program was implemented” under the Climate Commitment Act that took effect in 2023, De Haan said.

The Climate Commitment Act (CCA) adds roughly 55 cents per gallon of gas, Sen. Chris Gildon said in a May 21 news release. In addition, the state’s gas tax — among the highest in the nation — tacks on another 55 cents per gallon, KUOW reported.

Under the state’s landmark cap-and-invest program, the largest greenhouse gas emitters must purchase allowances to offset yearly emissions. Drivers then face added costs passed down from oil refineries. By 2050, the CCA aims to slash emissions by 95%.

Washington gas consumers’ frustration with their fiscal reality helped spark a new Change.org petition addressed to Gov. Bob Ferguson and leading lawmakers on the state transportation committees. More than 440 people have lent their signatures asking officials to pause or slash the state gas tax to offer financial relief to working families and small businesses.

“Every fill-up costs us $10–20 more than it should,” the petition says. “Such an additional burden isn’t just financially unsustainable but also emotionally and mentally taxing for our community.”

Gildon, a Puyallup Republican, is urging Ferguson to suspend the CCA until fuel costs return to more sustainable levels.

The Senate Republican budget lead noted in a May 20 letter to Ferguson that living in Washington today is more expensive than it was when the governor touched on the affordability crisis during his January 2025 inaugural address.

Inflation in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue region is about 1% higher than the national average, Gildon told McClatchy. Meanwhile, gas prices in the region have risen nearly 26% in the past year, per the letter.

Gildon said that many factors weigh on the cost of fuel, most of which state lawmakers can’t change.

“I can’t affect national or international events,” he continued in a call. “But certainly we can affect what happens within the borders of our own state.”

Prior to the CCA, De Haan said, Washington and Oregon often had very similar average gas prices. Now the Evergreen State’s costs are nearly 50 cents per gallon higher than Oregon’s, he said.

De Haan added that after Indiana recently waived its gas taxes, it became the cheapest state in the country when it comes to filling your tank.

“It’s fairly obvious to me as a petroleum analyst that when taxes on things like gasoline are suspended, it leads to a large decline in the price of fuel,” he said.

How would a CCA pause work?

If you ask Gildon, Ferguson could issue an emergency declaration that would lead to a prompt 55-cent-per-gallon reduction of the state’s wholesale gas purchases. Gildon’s letter said that prices would start to drop within a week.

The governor’s emergency power is vast in Washington, Gildon told McClatchy, pointing to COVID 19-era emergency orders under the administration of then-Gov. Jay Inslee.

Gildon said Ferguson’s office acknowledged receipt of his letter but that he hasn’t heard back since.

Governor’s office spokesperson Brionna Aho said in an email to McClatchy Thursday that gas prices have risen $1.36 per gallon since March for “one reason only: President Trump’s decision to go to war against Iran.” She said those Trump-caused high prices don’t constitute an emergency that lets the governor tap his emergency powers.

Aho said that figure is from averages on AAA’s website.

“While the governor appreciates Sen. Gildon’s extremely broad interpretation of the governor’s authority, a more constructive way to address the dramatic recent increase in gas prices would be to contact the man responsible for that increase: President Trump,” Aho wrote.

She said “the most recent independent analysis projects the costs of both the CCA and Clean Fuel Standard well below” the 55-cent figure that Gildon included in his letter, and she linked to the state Department of Ecology’s “Clean Fuel Standard Program Progress in 2024” report. The report concluded that in 2024, such policies probably contributed to a 7- to 24-cent bump in gas prices compared with other states.

De Haan estimated that suspending the CCA in Washington today would likely lead to a 40- to 60-cent decrease in price-per-gallon.

What’s the likelihood of a CCA pause?

Gildon said Wednesday that he wasn’t too optimistic that Ferguson will agree to pausing the CCA. Still, it’s important to “make the ask” when the move could offer people relief, he said.

He referenced another push from Sen. Drew MacEwen, a Shelton Republican, calling for a special session to address spiked gas and energy costs. But Gildon said that under his own approach, Ferguson could make a unilateral decision without calling for a special session.

Washingtonians are “livid” about the price of fuel, Gildon said, adding that he isn’t asking the state to ditch its environmental aims.

“But you’ve got to show that you understand that there is a balance between achieving your environmental goals and allowing people just to live in our state and get by when they’re hurting so badly,” he said.

This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Some call on WA to suspend gas tax amid high fuel prices. Is it on the table?."

Simone Carter

The Olympian

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