Sen. Liias insults Oregon Gov. Brown over Washington’s proposed export fuel tax, apologizes

(The Center Square) – Washington state Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, has apologized for biting remarks aimed at Oregon Gov. Kate Brown over her opposition to Washington’s proposed 6-cents per gallon export fuel tax.

“The fact that she dare say a word is just a joke,” Liias, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, had said in a Thursday radio interview with KVI’s John Carlson. “This governor down in Oregon is living in Fantasyland. She is in the last few months of her term. She is losing relevance. She is a lame duck. Obviously, she is grasping for something to stay in the headlines as her successor is being selected.”

Liaas is principal author of the $16 billion, 16-year “Move Ahead Washington” transportation package, which includes the export fuel tax.

Brown first took office as Oregon’s governor in 2015. She is term-limited and cannot run for re-election in 2022.

Last week, Brown said on Twitter that she spoke with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and “made it very clear that Washington taking unilateral action to increase gas prices for Oregon families and businesses is unacceptable.”

“Washington leaders should know that their action will impact Oregonians’ lives,” she also tweeted. “Continued collaboration between our states will always lead to better outcomes for both Washington and Oregon.”

By Friday, cooler heads prevailed, with Liias offering an olive branch to Brown from the floor of the state Senate.

“Yesterday I participated in a radio interview where I made unkind and disrespectful and inappropriate comments about the governor of Oregon, and I deeply regret those comments,” Liias said. “As chair of the Transportation Committee, I have an obligation to represent all of us well, and I failed in that task yesterday. I have expressed my apologies to Gov. Brown and look forward to continuing to build a strong relationship between our two states.”

In addition to Oregon, leaders in Idaho and Alaska that would be impacted by the proposal to place a tax on fuel refined in Washington before being exported to neighboring states have also expressed dismay at the plan, with threats of lawsuits and retaliatory measures to come.

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