While fuel prices have been falling slightly for the last few weeks when looking at the national average, citizens of the Evergreen State have to dig deeper into their wallets than most

Timothy Schumann
The Center Square Washington

Following over thirteen straight weeks of price declines, and five straight weeks of price increases, average fuel prices in Washington state stayed essentially unchanged week over week.

The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded was sitting at $4.13 and three-tenths of a cent statewide on Monday. A week prior it was sitting at $4.13 and seven-tenths of a cent, according to AAA data.

This idling, along with last week’s only 1-cent increase, could signal a turn-around in fuel pricing in the Evergreen state.

While fuel prices have been falling slightly for the last few weeks when looking at the national average, citizens of the Evergreen State have to dig deeper into their wallets than most. Washington’s pump came in at fourth most expensive nationally being beat out only by Nevada, California, and Hawaii, who filled out third to first on the list.

“Drivers may have a little more in their wallets as we head toward Valentine’s Day, and if gas demand and oil costs remain low, drivers will likely see pump prices drop through next week,” said AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross in a statement.

Washington’s $4.13 per gallon places it 72 cents per gallon higher than the national average of $3.41 per gallon, down from $3.47 the week prior. That is $1.14 per gallon above the nation’s least expensive fuel costs of $2.99 per gallon, currently paid by Texans.

In Washington, intra-state variance remains high at $1.24 per gallon, though down from last week’s $1.32 per gallon. The outliers this week, San Juan and Asotin counties, represent the most and least expensive gas prices statewide at $4.81 and $3.57 per gallon, respectively.

This price variance still largely follows the Cascade Range, with residents to the west paying a higher premium at the pump than residents to the east.

On top of these higher prices, as of Jan. 1 of this year, Washingtonians also have a new cap-and-trade system to pay for at the pump.

According to a report by the Washington Policy Center’s Environmental Director Todd Meyers, gas prices in Washington have already spiked 10 cents per gallon relative to California and Oregon.

“What the data show is that prices in Washington state jumped suddenly…much more than the other states on the West Coast,” the report stated.

Ultimately, the full impact of the new carbon tax won’t be known until regular auctions occur. The report notes that the new law “sets a minimum price of $22/metric ton of CO2, which translates to 17 cents per gallon. The price could go as high as $81/MT which would be 65 cents per gallon.”

This report was first published by The Center Square Washington.