Ursula: ‘Governor Ferguson, what about suspending the CCA?’ as local inflation nears a full point above national rate

Prices in the greater Seattle area rose 4.9% over the past year, according to federal data released Tuesday, outpacing a national inflation rate that itself hit a three-year high of 3.8%.

“We are getting hit even harder than much of the rest of the country,” KIRO host Ursula Reutin said on “The Gee and Ursula Show.” “The biggest culprit is the energy prices. Gas prices in our region, as we’ve talked about on the show, shot up nearly 30% in just two months after the war in Iran disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, and that is why gas prices this morning are back up near $6 a gallon.”

The Seattle-area energy index surged 23.7% year over year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), leading to spikes in nearly everything Washingtonians buy.

“And they’re warning that this may only be the beginning, because petroleum touches almost everything we buy,” Ursula added.

Time to disband (temporarily) the Climate Commitment Act?

When it comes to gas prices in Washington, Ursula cited that more than 55 cents per gallon goes to the state gas tax, 18 cents per gallon goes to federal gas taxes, and anywhere from 40 to 50 cents per gallon goes to Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA), depending on carbon auction prices.

“I saw that President Trump is talking about temporarily suspending the federal gas tax, which again would save about 18 or 19 cents a gallon, so my question is, Governor Ferguson, what about suspending the CCA?” Ursula asked. “I think the governor should put it on hold while all Washington families are getting crushed by these energy prices, gas pushing $6 a gallon, and we still, if you’re honest, do we really know whether this program is delivering the climate results that we were promised? Do you remember how the state was forced to admit it had inflated some of the emissions-reduction numbers due to what they called a major reporting error? I mean, that makes me even more skeptical about the CCA.”

Gee compares inflation to a treadmill

“Inflation is like a treadmill. It’s a treadmill that all of us are on. We are all on a treadmill,” Gee said. “And, last year, early January 2025, while on the treadmill, we were told that it would slow down and, as we are looking for relief on the treadmill, every time we look away, somebody keeps turning up the speed and increasing the incline on the treadmill. Every single time you think or continue to work harder, for some reason, the speed on the treadmill keeps getting faster.

“So when you hear about inflation, like you just talked about, and you hear about energy being one of the biggest culprits that we talked about being diabolical. When you hear about gas prices, when you hear about affordability, every other topic that you want to, it feels like a treadmill that continues to get faster and faster and faster, and all you’re doing is just on a treadmill, but somebody keeps speeding it up and increasing the incline. That’s where we are.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Contributing: Aaron Granillo, KIRO Newsradio

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.