Fuel costs are rising in Washington. Here’s how you can avoid them | Opinion

Now that the One Big Beautiful Bill is phasing out subsidies for electric vehicles and electrification of home heating systems, consumers might conclude that there is no more help with overcoming the higher upfront cost of electric technology. That’s true in some states, but Washington state has considerable funding available from the Climate Commitment Act (CCA).

Recall that, to drive down the carbon dioxide emissions that cause climate change, the CCA sells a decreasing number of carbon permits four times a year to fossil fuel companies. Those purchases are driving up the cost of natural gas and motor fuel, but they also provide a large supply of funding that consumers, business and governments can tap into to reduce their exposure to the increasing cost of fossil fuels.

Happily, this makes the most sense in Washington state, because our electricity costs the least of any state in the union. That makes the operating costs of our electric vehicles and appliances substantially lower than for fuel burners.

But accessing those low operating costs is challenging for many consumers because of the higher upfront purchase price of electric vehicles and appliances.

That’s where CCA funding comes in. It’s available to Washington state residents to help overcome the higher purchase cost. Of the $3 billion in CCA funding appropriated as of July 2025, active transportation gets 9%, electric transportation 6%, public transit 22% and buildings 10%. Funding is available as both rebates to consumers and small businesses and as grants to counties and cities.

Generous CCA rebates allowed 6000 low income households to purchase electric vehicles (EVs) last year, but high demand quickly consumed it, and the legislature did not appropriate funding for EV rebates this year. Consumers should look for that next year.

Even without rebates, the cost of EVs is coming down: the new Chevy Bolt will be available early in 2026 at a price below $29,000. Its range is only 255 miles, but it can charge three times as fast as the old Bolt, and the network of fast charging stations is filling in the gap between home and destinations beyond its range.

Rebates of $300 and $1200 for electric bicycles were available this year. The $4 million allocated was quickly consumed, so register for notification next year. Washington State has appropriated $111 million for multimodal transportation; Richland and Kennewick should apply for funding for a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over WA-240 near the Columbia River.

For businesses, the Washington Zero-Emission Vehicle Incentive Program helps them switch to commercial medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles and equipment.

Although the CCA doesn’t subsidize the purchase and installation of home charging, 20-amp 120-Volt outlets in every home can add 50 miles of range for most EVs overnight, and 240-Volt level 2 chargers (which can add 24 miles of ranger per hour of charging) can be installed for $500 to $2000 if the home electrical panel already has sufficient capacity. Mine cost me just $15.

If an EV owner must rely on public charging stations, Washington State has 1,494 level 3 charging ports at 386 locations and 4,991 level 2 ports at 2090 sites in 2024, and is adding 658 level 3 ports at 62 sites and 4,721 level 2 ports at 389 sites. For a Chevy Bolt, which averages 3.8 miles per kWh, charging at home costs only 2.6 cents per mile, and level 3 charging costs about 13 cents per mile.

For public transportation, $38 million of CCA funding has been allocated for electric public transit buses and $25 million for school buses. Ben Franklin Transit already has 2 buses and the Pasco School District has three and built a maintenance facility with the capacity to charge 20, cutting the cost of powering them by a factor of three and eliminating the hazardous soot emissions that diesel buses produce.

For home electrification, the state Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR) Program has $77 million in rebates for high-efficiency electric equipment and appliances in low-and-moderate income households (about $127,000 annually) and small businesses. Eligible equipment includes ducted and ductless heat pumps, heat pump water heaters and clothes dryers, induction stoves, and electrical panel upgrades. If the rebates are the same as the federal rebates being phased out, they are quite generous. The rebates are administered by local governments and non-profit organizations that must apply for blocks of funding. Yakima County has successfully applied for them; Benton and Franklin can too.

Benton PUD and Richland PUD customers can also get home electrification rebates, regardless of household income.

If you can move fast, federal tax credits for completed installations of heat pumps and electrical panel upgrades are available until the end of 2025.

For energy efficiency, the state Clean Buildings Performance Grants program offers competitive funding for energy efficiency improvements in both private and public buildings. Over $40 million has been allocated to support energy efficiency retrofits in privately owned and public buildings. Benton County has received $400,000 of that funding.

So, if you’re unhappy with the increasing cost of motor fuel and natural gas, I encourage you to tap into CCA funds to reduce your exposure, so that you’ll no longer care about the cost.

Retired climate scientist Steve Ghan leads the Tri-Cities Washington Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby, guides crews that remove logs from the Pacific Crest Trail and serves as Treasurer for the Three Rivers Folklife Society.

This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM.