Washington Gov. Jay Inslee made a show last week of blaming oil company price gouging for making gas prices in the Evergreen State the highest in the nation.

“We want to give drivers relief. We want to go to the heart of this problem, which is the greed and avarice of oil companies, who are still not telling the truth,” he said. “We intend to hold them accountable for price gouging.”

That’s a bunch of codswallop meant to draw attention away from the impact the state’s carbon-emission allowance auctions are having on the price of gas and diesel fuel.

Last week, Washington’s average price for regular unleaded was $4.92 a gallon, about 3 cents more than in California and $1.34 higher than the national average, according to AAA.

Washington’s rise to the top in gas prices coincided with the Jan. 1 implementation of cap-and-trade legislation, which imposes a fee on carbon emissions from fossil fuels.

What goes into the price of a gallon of gas?

Gasoline prices vary widely across the country, and the reasons behind the disparities are complex.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, on average in May the price of crude oil made up 49% of the price. Federal and state taxes were 14% of the price, distribution and marketing were another 15%, and refining made up 21% of the price.

Pollution control efforts require different varieties of gasoline be blended in different regions of the country. The cost of those blends varies.

Gas is often cheaper in areas that are closer to oil sources and refineries.

Tax rates vary greatly from state to state, but average 28 cents a gallon. In Washington, state gas taxes are 49.4 cents per gallon. Add the federal tax of 18.4 cents, and Washingtonians pay 67.8 cents a gallon in taxes.

Washington companies that emit carbon, including oil companies, must buy allowances at state auctions. Those allowances have turned out to be way more expensive than was originally estimated.

Washington’s most recent cap-and-trade auction set the carbon fee at $56.01 a ton, compared to $30.33 in California.

The Western States Petroleum Association estimates the cost of the allowances are adding 50 cents to a gallon of gasoline.

Inslee isn’t the first politician to charge oil companies with price gouging. It’s easy to imagine that a few large, powerful companies would manipulate prices to enrich themselves.

But you have to ask yourself why, if that is true, the oil companies aren’t gouging everywhere? Why does big oil let drivers in Idaho pay only $3.89 a gallon when it could be getting nearly five bucks?

Carbon allowances aren’t the only reason for Washington’s high gas prices, but they are a major factor. California also requires oil companies to purchase allowances, and its gas prices are the second highest in the nation. That’s not a coincidence.

The whole point of the allowances was to drive up fossil fuel prices to stem consumption. Inslee is trying to run away from the intended consequences of the program he championed.

Inslee blasts oil industry, defends cap-and-trade