b'2021 Scholarship Foundation WASHINGTON Independent Energy Distributors ReportWIEDWashington WireWASHINGTONwill take a couple of years for the programs under the carbon bills to take effect, there is little doubt of the passage of a gas tax increase. This will all take place before consumers feel the TAKES HUGE HIT pain at the pump and, by then, it will be too late.IN 2021 LEGISLATIVEWOMA REBRANDSSESSION Lea McCullough WIED Executive Director TOWIED:WA concludedAfter 64 yearsof being the Washington Oil Marketers The 2021 105-day virtuallegislative session on Sunday, April 25th. To say that this was historically one ofAssociation, the Board of Directors decided it was time to the worst sessions for businesses and taxpayers in Washingtonrebrand the name and position ourselves to be more energy would be an understatement. To quote republican Senator Dougfocused, and remove the name oil from our presence. Ericksen, The most radical Legislature in the history of Out of necessity in the ever-brutal legislative front, the Washington state is forcing everyone to live like Seattle.rebranding is in response to the need and desire to have the In a noticeably short period, most occurring within the last 36ability to get into the Congressional and local state offices to hours of the session, the democrat majority passed a massiveinfluence bills and policy around the energy sector. As you two-year operating budget, a capital gains tax on high wagecan see in our legislative report, the pressures to move away earners, tax credits for the poor and climate change legislationfrom anything liquid petroleum are immense, and as this year they have been pushing for nearly 20 years, among other things. shows, impossible to stop. For WIED, we lost our long and hard-fought battle against aTherefore, The Board of Directors unanimously decided to re-low carbon fuel standard and carbon cap and trade legislation;name our organization to the Washington Independent Energy both of which passed and will be signed by the governor. At theDistributors, with a tagline of Fueling Mobility in the Pacific beginning of the session, we knew that these policies along withNorthwest. The logo and name have been integrated and a proposed straight carbon tax would be competing with a trans- implemented as of April 1st, 2021.portation revenue package. While none of the carbon measures raise money for transportation, they do increase the cost of fuelTHEWASHINGTON ENERGY which competes directly against a transportation budget that requires a gas tax increase.ANDC-STORE CONVENTIONThroughout the session, all these policies were in conflict because the passage of any two climate proposals and a gasIS HAPPENING!tax would increase the price of fuel by what was estimated to be nearly a dollar a gallon. We kept the pressure on throughoutWe are extremely excitedto announce that we will be and were cautiously optimistic that the sum of these measureshosting our annual convention and tradeshow during the 3rd would collapse under their own weight. Unfortunately, that didweek of June as traditional to our Association. It will come not happen. In the last few hours of the session what becamewith some modifications to address COVID concerns and re-known as The Grand Bargain was struck. Both LCFS and capstrictions, but we are quite excited for an event where we can and trade bills passed but may not be implemented until a gascome together and focus on reconnecting as a family. Im very tax increase of at least 5 cents per gallon is passed. Because itexcited for what is to come! S38 www.wpma.com / Summer 2021'