Carbon fee back on the table for Washington

Despite past voter rejection of similar proposals, Senate Transportation Committee chair Steve Hobbs rolled out a comprehensive funding package that would impose a carbon pollution fee and gas tax increase to fund transportation projects statewide.

Under the proposed package, which is moving through the Senate, consumers would pay an additional 6 cents per gallon in state tax at the pump. The money would go into a new Forward Washington Account to fund specific projects.

Sen. Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, is the prime sponsor of Senate Bills 5970, 5971 and 5972, which have received praise from both s...