Didn't Sen. Ann "Gas Tax" Rivers use this as an excuse to screw us? Perhaps it's time for her to resign.

There was a pile of reasons she violated her campaign promises to oppose gas tax and tab fee increases... none of which made any sense.

One of the most bizarre was this one:

Rivers also went on to explain that the bill’s sponsors agreed to a tradeoff to get Republicans like herself on board that eliminated a push for Low Carbon Fuel Standards in the transportation package that would have pushed the gas tax increase to more than $1 a gallon. There’s also provisions that prevent Gov. Jay Inslee from adding the standards after the fact. 

“When I explain the Low Carbon Fuel Standards Provision, everyone tells me, ‘I get it. You did the right thing,’’’ Rivers said.

So.

What is Rivers going to tell people now?

I guess he didn't read... or care... about that memo.

From Rep. Liz Pike's FB page:

Hang onto your wallets. 

This morning I participated in a Webinar produced by WA Dept. of Ecology (DOE) on their new scheme to adopt a Carbon Cap and Trade program. DOE is marketing it as "The Clean Air Rule Concept." Governor Inslee insists that through DOE rule making, he has the authority to pass sweeping new environmental policy to implement a cap on carbon pollution of its own choosing, and lower that cap over a time of its own choosing. His plan is to use DOE's authority to set limits on individual WA manufacturers and a total statewide cap. 

Make no mistake, DOE is getting ready to drill a huge hole in your wallet. DOE is going after petroleum distributors and refineries, natural gas producers and distributors and manufacturers including local high tech and paper mills right here in Camas in this latest bureaucratic overreach of authority. This means your heating bills will go up, the price of fuel will rise and our manufacturing facilities will have to purchase carbon credits if they cannot meet DOE's new emission standards. Thousands of family wage jobs will be lost as companies flee our state. 

What will all of this new policy cost WA taxpayers in higher energy costs? DOE has no idea. How many companies will choose to leave WA after this rogue agency adopts these new rules? DOE has no idea. How many prospective new companies will tell Michael Bomar at the Columbia River Economic Development Council, "no thanks," and "we cannot afford to move our expanding company to SW WA because of our state's harmful new environmental regulations?" DOE has no idea. 

Another deeply troubling aspect of Governor Inslee's plan is to exempt energy coming here from other states which will put our own WA energy producers at a disadvantage with our neighbor states. More SW Washington residents will drive across the river to Oregon to fill up. The same thing will happen in our Gorge communities and in Eastern Washington. Our state’s businesses and families will be the big losers. 

Even worse, Governor Inslee has ordered DOE to expedite a new cap on carbon program by fast-tracking this process and totally leaving the deliberative legislative process out! A few weeks ago on Sept. 21, DOE rolled out their process with a series of Webinars that concluded today. Just two public hearings are scheduled to be held. 

In December, DOE will release its draft rule, followed by a public comment period in writing with the final rule adopted in June, 2016, essentially, shoving a new cap on carbon emissions in the name of climate change down the throats of Washington citizens, all done inside of a 9 month period! 

The two DOE public hearings on the proposed new clean air rules are as follows: Georgetown Campus of South Seattle Community College on October 8 from 9:30am-3:30pm and October 13 from 12-4pm at the Spokane Convention Center. I'm sending a letter to DOE Director Maia Bellon asking for a third hearing in Southwest Washington. Two hearings in just two corners of our state falls far short of any serious effort to seek out public opinion on this plan. 

Here's the link so you can read all about Governor Inslee's harmful new plan. Please join me in making your voice heard. Tell Governor Inslee that you reject his harmful new Cap and Trade Carbon reduction plan in the name of climate change and its junk science! 

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/carbonlimit.htm 

If DOE insists on moving forward on this sweeping policy that will hurt our working families, kill jobs and forever harm our state's competitive advantages, I'm prepared to introduce Legislation in 2016 to defund their agency. I am asking citizens to join me and rise up against this tyrannical bureaucracy!

Yes, Senator... you have a lot of splainin' to do.  And I look forward to your effort.

“I can’t be so afraid to lose my job that I don’t do my job," Rivers said.

Your betrayal of your district means that, in fact, you didn't do your job.

And your job... is to represent US.

So now, we're going to have to see about you losing your job entirely because you not only didn't listen... you, in fact, failed to do your job.

You got hosed.  You wouldn't listen.  I REPEATEDLY tried to warn you.

And we're getting raped... in part... because of you.

It's bad enough that you lied to get elected.  That you were stupid on top of that?

It's time for you to resign.  Soon.

Like today.