Tracy Ellis: It’s the Elephant in the Dome, the official podcast of the Washington State Senate Republican Caucus. I’m Tracy Ellis with Republican leader John Braun. I filled up
my car the other day, and even though it was at Costco, it was still pretty expensive. But that’s nothing compared to diesel. You have a diesel truck, Senator, and I know that it was pretty
eye-opening to you when you filled that thing up.
Tracy Ellis: Obviously, part of the reason fuel prices are so high right now is the war in Iran. But when you compare our state to other states, it’s really eye-popping when you look at
the difference in prices. Talk about where we are with fuel prices right now and how we got here.
Sen. John Braun: Well, there’s a lot going on. And it’s certainly one of the things, you know, when you talk about affordability here in the state of Washington—food, gas, housing,
child care, health care—fuel prices have just shot up. And you’re right that part of the increase, at least in the last five or six weeks, is driven by international events in the Middle East.
Sen. John Braun: But we’ve had this problem in Washington long before that. Because the policies put in place by the Democratic majorities over the last several years have
really driven our prices up relative to our neighbors in Oregon and Idaho. And even—I traveled recently to see our youngest daughter on the East Coast—and even back there, where it’s still
expensive, it was in some cases a couple of dollars a gallon less than what you’re seeing here in Washington.
Sen. John Braun: And that is the direct result of the Climate Commitment Act, the cap-and-trade system, our very high gas taxes—I think they’re the second highest in the
nation—and we actually have a law passed last year that makes those taxes go up over time with inflation. And we haven’t even seen the full impact of the low carbon fuel standard yet,
which has been analyzed to be another 50-cent increase in the relatively near term.
Sen. John Braun: So, it’s a huge burden. You know, the majority likes to talk about the regressive nature of taxes. But what’s truly regressive is when fuel prices go up like this. It
has a much bigger impact on folks with lower economic means than it does on folks that are doing well.
Tracy Ellis: And the Climate Commitment Act, which is supposed to be helping the climate—while gas prices are going up and up, has it been making a difference in carbon?
Sen. John Braun: Not that I can tell. If you look at the data from the Department of Ecology or from the Office of Financial Management, they’ll show you that there’s little to no
actual reduction in carbon. Our citizens are paying nearly a couple of billion dollars extra a year for the privilege of having this cap-and-trade system, but it’s not affecting behavior much
because people still have to get to work. They still have to get their kids to school. They’re just paying a higher price.
Sen. John Braun: And then to make it worse, the Democratic majority has taken that huge windfall and used it to support special interests that have no direct impact on reducing
carbon. In the few cases where they do support carbon-reduction projects, it’s much more expensive than just buying carbon reduction on the free market. So, it’s failing at all points. It
isn’t doing the job it was supposed to do, and it is absolutely driving up the cost of living in Washington.
Tracy Ellis: And as you mentioned, our gas tax is one of the highest in the country, but according to our Governor Ferguson, our roads aren’t that great. He mentioned we have the
worst pothole problem in the nation. We have bridges that have been shut down because they’re afraid they’re going to fall down. So, what’s that gas tax paying for?
Sen. John Braun: Well, that’s a great question. You know, our system doesn’t work. It relies on a declining gas tax that has been over-bonded for decades. So, we’re paying a lot of
that money in interest. And we have a transportation system that is rated nearly the worst in the country—somewhere around 48th out of 50.
Sen. John Braun: And then we continue to implement labor laws that drive up the cost of business, drive up the cost of labor, without necessarily helping workers. It results in
projects coming in way over budget. You look at the proposed bridge over the Columbia River between Washington and Portland—it started at $2 or $3 billion and is now almost at $15 billion.
It’s because our policies drive up costs, and then big companies that can do those types of projects look elsewhere for business because they know it’s so expensive to do business in
Washington.
Tracy Ellis: You talked about the price at the pump, but especially with diesel, that impacts the price of everything else, including food. Everything in the grocery store comes in on
a truck.
Sen. John Braun: Absolutely. I was talking to someone who runs a small trucking company, and these prices are just eating them alive. To stay in business, they have to pass
those charges through to whoever is shipping, and then ultimately that goes to the consumer. It can add up to a couple hundred dollars extra per day, per truck. Whether it’s the grocery store or
something shipped to your house, it has a transportation cost. Tracy Ellis: What can the Legislature do about this? Are the Democrats open to
making adjustments?
Sen. John Braun: So far, we’ve gotten nothing. We have proposed legislation to suspend the gas tax or suspend the cap-and-trade system for a period of time to help with
affordability—that could take anywhere from $0.50 to $1.50 off the cost per gallon. While we do have investments to make in our transportation system, a short-term suspension to help families
is a good idea. But so far, the majority and the Governor haven’t been open to it.
Tracy Ellis: They seem concerned when it comes to national issues like tariffs, but not when it’s something local they can control.
Sen. John Braun: It’s a huge disconnect. They’ll talk about national inflation, and yes, that’s a problem. But they won’t talk about the “Washington inflation” they’ve created with
their own policies.
Tracy Ellis: Let’s pivot slightly to utility bills. People are seeing their home energy costs go up too. There’s been a lot of conversation about natural gas. Where are we with that
transition?
Sen. John Braun: This is a big concern for us. The push to eliminate natural gas for home heating and cooking is going to be incredibly expensive for homeowners. It’s not just
about the appliances; it’s about the massive upgrades needed for our electrical grid. If we move everyone to electric, we need the capacity to support that, especially during peak winter months.
We are seeing policies that essentially force people into more expensive energy options without a reliable plan for the grid.
Sen. John Braun: We’ve seen bills like HB 1589 that really target the future of natural gas. It’s a concerning trend where we are prioritizing a specific “green” goal over the
reality of whether or not people can actually afford to keep their lights and heat on.
Tracy Ellis: It feels like a lot of these policies are being pushed through without a clear understanding of the “physics” of it all, like you’ve mentioned before.
Sen. John Braun: That’s exactly right. Physics doesn’t care about your political goals. If you don’t have enough baseload power—like hydro or natural gas—you can’t just wish
your way into a stable grid with only wind and solar. We need a diverse energy portfolio that includes baseload power to keep the grid stable and the costs down.
Sen. John Braun: And again, this hits the people with the least the hardest. If your utility bill goes up by $100 a month because of these mandates, that’s a huge deal for a family
on a fixed income.
Tracy Ellis: What is the Republican caucus’s main goal as we head into the next session regarding these energy costs?
Sen. John Braun: Our goal is affordability and reliability. We want to stop these hidden taxes and make sure that any climate policy actually results in measurable carbon
reduction, rather than just being a revenue generator for the state. We want to return some of this surplus to the people who are struggling to pay for gas and groceries.
Sen. John Braun: We are also focused on protecting our energy infrastructure. We shouldn’t be tearing down dams or banning energy sources until we have a proven, affordable
replacement ready to go.
Tracy Ellis: It’s a lot for people to take in, but it’s important because it affects their daily lives so much.
Sen. John Braun: It really does. It’s about freedom, too—the freedom to choose how you heat your home and the freedom to be able to afford to get where you need to go.
Tracy Ellis: Well, Senator, thank you for coming in and talking about this today. I know you’re busy with the session coming up.
Sen. John Braun: Happy to do it, Tracy. It’s an important conversation to have.
Tracy Ellis: That was Republican leader John Braun. You’ve been listening to the Elephant in the Dome. Make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast app and visit our
website at src.wa.gov for more information.