Gas prices across America are dropping. Families in most states are finally getting a little relief at the pump—unless they live in Washington, where prices are going in the opposite direction.
Here, the average gallon now costs $4.41—nearly $1.30 more than the national average of $3.14 and a staggering 40% higher overall. In some places, like San Juan County, drivers are coughing up over $5.20 a gallon. And just to rub it in, Oregon drivers—right next door—are paying about 40 cents less per gallon.
Why? Simple. Washington has the third-highest gas tax in the country, and Democrats in Olympia keep finding creative new ways to squeeze drivers. Their so-called “cap-and-invest” program—more accurately the cap-and-tax system—was sold as a climate win. Instead, it’s been a wallet raid, jacking up fuel costs while doing next to nothing for the environment.
Layer on top of that the state’s never-ending climate mandates and transportation “reforms” that punish anyone who dares to drive, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for pump pain. While California and Hawaii barely edge us out for most expensive gas, our price gap with the rest of the country is growing.
Washington’s political leaders promised that green energy policies would save the planet and our wallets. Instead, they’ve saved us from the terrible fate of having too much disposable income. Drivers here are paying more than almost anyone else in America—because that’s exactly how Democrats in Olympia designed it.
