SPOKANE, Wash. — $4.89. That's how much residents will be paying for gas at one station in Spokane Valley. Gwendolyn Webb drives half an hour every day.
"I go to school out in Cheney so it's kind of a lot, but you gotta do what you gotta do I guess," Webb said.
But, drive across the state lines and you'll find gas almost a dollar cheaper. Many drivers from Washington have gone to Idaho just to fill up their tank.
"I actually plan my trip so I don't have to fill up as much in Spokane so whenever I come to Idaho, I fill up," Shei Reynoso said.
Like many other drivers, Reynoso is frustrated. Washington gas prices are the highest in the nation for the first time since 2005.
"I think it's ridiculous. I think it's expensive now cause it's summer," said Reynoso.
The Washington Department of Ecology says the rise in the price of gas in Washington is due to a number of factors.
"Supply and demand, including things like currently, or recently, some refineries and pipelines have been offline, or reduce capacity because of maintenance. So all these factors, impact supply demand and prices," said Luke Martland, the Department of Ecology climate commitment act manager.
But, GasBuddy says the main problem is Washington's new cap and invest program that went in effect earlier this year. The program was passed by legislature with the goal to reduce emissions. Patrick De Haan with GasBuddy says the new law has lead to higher prices at the pump.
"When the cap and trade program was implemented," said De Haan." We've seen a departure between Oregon and Washington that continues to grow, now it's at a difference of 35 cents."
Before the new law took effect ecology only anticipated gas prices going up a couple of cents per gallon, as a result of the new law.
GasBuddy says gas is an average of $4.73 per gallon in Spokane. That's almost one dollar more than the national average.
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