The administration of Washington Gov. Jay Inslee did not force out a transportation official who wanted to reveal that the state’s new carbon market could increase gasoline prices by as much as 50 cents per gallon, according to a state-commissioned investigation.
The analysis released Wednesday cleared the Washington Department of Transportation of wrongdoing in the case of Scott Smith, who left his job there last November. Smith has sued the state, claiming he was a whistleblower who was pushed out. The case is pending in the state’s superior court.
Smith — in writing a fuel price forecast for the state — claims he was pressured to omit language that predicted the carbon market likely would raise gasoline prices.
The investigation didn’t find enough evidence that the events Smith described — including his job later being eliminated — “were in retaliation for Smith’s alleged refusal to provide false or misleading information about the source of fuel cost increases,” according to the report.
