成人X站

Will President Donald Trump save Washington drivers from the Climate Commitment Act gas tax? After introducing a new executive order, it could be a possibility.

Trump issued an this week. “Protecting American Energy From State Overreach” directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to identify and challenge state and local climate laws deemed to interfere with federal energy policies.

“American energy dominance is threatened when State and local governments seek to regulate energy beyond their constitutional or statutory authorities,” the executive order states.

The order specifically criticizes state initiatives such as New York’s and Vermont’s climate superfund laws, which seek to hold fossil fuel companies financially accountable for environmental damages, and California’s cap-and-trade system, arguing that these measures threaten American energy dominance and economic security.

Washington State will soon be on Trump’s and the DOJ’s radar.

Climate Commitment Act hurts energy policy and our bank accounts

The Climate Commitment Act (CCA), enacted in 2021, established a cap-and-invest program aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by capping emissions from major sources and allowing the trading of emission allowances.

At the time, Washington Republicans, policy wonks, and the state’s own economist warned that the CCA would raise the price of gas dramatically. The oil and gas producers would simply pass the cost of the CCA cap-and-invest program onto the consumer.

That’s precisely what happened, though, at the time, then-Governor Jay Inslee said it wouldn’t. At one time, he even lied and claimed it could save us money. He knew at the time that there would be no cost savings to drivers.

The CCA was intended as punitive

The CCA set impossible targets, including a 95% reduction in emissions by 2050, and integrated environmental justice by directing funds from allowance auctions toward investments in climate resiliency, clean transportation, and addressing health disparities. 鈥�

But the , and virtually no CCA funds are being spent on air quality programs.

The CCA was never meant to be anything other than a punitive measure against oil and gas producers, in addition to drivers. Washington Democrats, Inslee in particular, are hoping to price drivers out of their cars.

Trump admin. should take on the CCA

Given the broad scope of President Trump’s executive order, Washington’s CCA could potentially face challenges from the federal government.

The order empowers Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against state policies that are viewed as overstepping state authority or conflicting with federal objectives. While the CCA is designed to operate within state jurisdiction, its approach to regulating emissions and influencing energy markets should be perceived by the Trump administration as an impediment to federal energy policies promoting fossil fuel industries.鈥�

Any legal battle over the CCA or any program that runs in conflict with the Trump executive order will be, no doubt, complex. It will become about states’ rights as much as about environmental regulations. But no Washington leader in a position of power will challenge the CCA, and the state certainly doesn’t have a non-partisan state Supreme Court that will ever come to the rescue. All we have, at this point, is the Trump White House.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the聽podcast here. Follow Jason Rantz on聽,听,听, and聽.