Energy

Inslee calls for gas price gouging crackdown legislation

California enacted a similar law in March.
Cars line up at a Shell gas station June 17, 2022, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File)

With the state facing the highest gas prices in the country, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) called on state lawmakers to pass legislation next session to require oil and gas producers to open their books to ensure they are charging reasonable gas prices and to establish a watchdog to crack down on producers when they do charge too much.

Inslee said at a news conference Thursday that “the greed and avarice of these oil companies” is the heart of the problem and that both of those strategies “can work.” 

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