Senator Schoesler warns of higher future gas prices

OLYMPIA – Senator Mark Schoesler (R-Ritzville) summed up the 2021 legislative session with bad news.

"This session was very bad for Washington's everyday, hard-working taxpayers," Schoesler said, adding the session "kept citizens in the dark" with the closed campus restricting the public from interaction with legislators.

Citizens who wanted to testify had to do it via Zoom.

"If their Internet connection was iffy, they ran the risk of not being able to testify," Schoesler said. "Many Republican colleagues and I believe the public was kept out of the loop by the rules preventing people from entering (or even setting foot near) the Capitol or other legislative buildings during our session. This needs to change in 2022."

Schoesler warned of skyrocketing fuel prices due to two "climate" bills that passed but he said won't improve the climate.

"Buying gas or diesel will be much more expensive in the coming years," Schoesler said, calling House Bill 1091, a low-carbon fuel standard, the "high-cost fuel standard." Schoesler said an analysis by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency reported a similar bill raised gas prices by 57 cents a gallon, and diesel by 63 cents a gallon.

"On the final day of our session, a compromise version of the bill (that was essentially decided by two Senate Democrats and two House Democrats) was passed by the Senate 26-23 and by the House 54-43," Schoesler said.

He said Senate Bill 5126, the "cap-and-trade" bill was more aptly called the "cap-and-tax" bill. It was approved by the Senate 27-22 and the House 54-43.

"A recent study, from NERA Economic Consulting, says this bill would increase the cost of gasoline in our state by $1.81 a gallon by 2024 and $2.41 a gallon by 2030. The study also finds the bill would increase diesel costs by $2.07 a gallon by 2024 and $2.75 by 2030," Schoesler said. "If the extreme fuel-cost hikes tied to these two bills weren’t bad enough, the climate measures – pushed for years by Governor Inslee – create complicated programs that will require manufacturers and other businesses to purchase 'credits' and 'allowances' to offset carbon emissions."

Schoesler said cost increases will be in addition to the current state and federal gas taxes of 67.8 cents a gallon, already the fourth-highest in the country.

Schoesler warned a special session might be called for this fall to pass a transportation-funding package that would include a state gas-tax hike of at least five cents a gallon.

Schoesler reported Senate Bill 5172, introduced by Senator Curtis King (R-Yakima) "attempted to defuse a potential time bomb" caused by a recent court ruling that "could cause a devastating problem" for Washington's dairy industry and other parts of the state's economy. For the first time in 60 years, state law no longer exempts the agriculture industry from paying overtime; after Jose Martinez-Cuevas v. DeRuyter Bros. Dairy found the law unconstitutional last November.

"Since then, dairy farmers and other agricultural employers have worried that they could be forced to pay their employers with retroactive overtime going back three years. It was estimated that dairy farmers collectively could have to pay $84 million in retroactive overtime," Schoesler said, adding the original version of SB 5172, which he co-sponsored, wouldn't assess damages to employers who followed the overtime-exemption law until it was overturned.

"The House and Senate moved in a positive direction on this ag retroactive bill. While the bill going to the governor is viewed as an improvement over the version first passed by the Senate, it unfortunately wasn’t enough of an improvement for me to vote for it," Schoesler said. "While the final version will keep dairy farmers from being sued for retroactive overtime, it fails to address problems done the road."

Schoesler said the bill also does not take into account benefits offered by employers such as housing and vehicles.