Seattle Inflation Hits 4.9% as Host Urges Ferguson to Suspend 40-50 Cent Climate Fee
Updated
Updated · MyNorthwest · May 13
Seattle Inflation Hits 4.9% as Host Urges Ferguson to Suspend 40-50 Cent Climate Fee
1 articles · Updated · MyNorthwest · May 13
Seattle-area prices rose 4.9% from a year earlier in April, nearly a point above the 3.8% national rate, prompting KIRO host Ursula Reutin to press Governor Bob Ferguson on pausing Washington’s Climate Commitment Act.
Energy drove much of the gap: the regional energy index jumped 23.7% year over year, and Reutin said gas prices climbed nearly 30% in two months after the Iran war disrupted Strait of Hormuz shipments.
Gasoline near $6 a gallon now includes more than 55 cents in state tax, 18 cents in federal tax and roughly 40 to 50 cents tied to the CCA, which Reutin argued should be temporarily suspended to ease household costs.
The on-air challenge also questioned whether the program is delivering promised emissions cuts, citing a past state admission that some emissions-reduction figures had been inflated by a reporting error.
With a global oil crisis driving prices, would suspending a local Washington climate law provide meaningful, long-term relief to families?
If Washington's climate act is paused, how will the state fund the low-income energy assistance programs that rely on its revenue?
As AI's thirst for power strains the grid, will Washington make tech giants pay for upgrades or pass the cost to residents?