Article by Erik Smith. Published on Thursday, March 18, 2010 EST.

Some 30 uniformed refinery workers stormed the Legislature Wednesday to protest a plan to raise the state’s hazardous-substance taxes to pay for water-pollution programs. The plan is likely to raise gas prices, while costs that can’t be passed along will have to be absorbed by refiners. Steve Garey (right), a machinist at the Tesoro Anacortes refinery and a union representative for the United Steel Workers, said there is a split among labor interests. The state’s Building and Construction Trades Council favors the plan, because drainage projects would create jobs. But unionized refinery workers are opposed because a tax hike might cause oil companies to move elsewhere. “They see this as a way to get construction jobs, but our argument is that we represent permanent long-time jobs,” he said. “We’ve been there since the 1950s.”  

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