Washington's gas tax rose by 2% this month — and you can expect the same increase next year and every year after.

Why it matters: The Legislature's choice to automatically raise the gas tax yearly is designed to help keep up with rising costs of highway projects. But it also helps lawmakers avoid future votes on potentially unpopular gas tax hikes.

Catch up quick: Washington lawmakers passed a transportation package last year raising the state's gas tax by 6 cents per gallon. The plan included a new inflationary adjustment that automatically increases the tax by 2% a year.

• The automatic increase took effect for the first time July 1, raising the tax from 55.4 cents to 56.5 cents per gallon.

What they're saying: Washington's transportation budget is struggling due to spikes in construction costs, along with a decline in gas tax revenue as vehicles become more fuel efficient, state Sen. Marko Liias (D-Edmonds) said during a Senate floor debate last year.

• Liias, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, cited a 70% increase in heavy construction costs between 2020 and 2024, which he said equaled the previous 17 years of inflation.

The other side: Several Republicans opposed the automatic increases last year, saying lawmakers should have to vote each time they want to raise the gas tax, as they've done in the past.

• That kind of public debate gives residents the chance to weigh in, and forces elected leaders to "make the case, make the argument each time they wish to raise this," state Rep. Ed Orcutt (R-Kalama) said during a committee discussion last year.

Between the lines: State Rep. Jake Fey (D-Tacoma), who chairs the House Transportation Committee, told Axios that annual adjustments are partly intended to avoid the need for another large gas tax increase years down the road.

• He described those votes as "extremely hard," noting that Washington already has one of the nation's highest gas taxes.

What's next: By 2030, the tax is set to rise to 61.2 cents per gallon — all without the Legislature voting again to raise it.

Full story

The wildlife bridge over I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass reached a major milestone recently when the first black bear was recorded using it to cross above the freeway.

The big picture: The grass-covered overpass, completed in 2018, reconnects habitat divided by the highway, helping wildlife cross safely while reducing collisions with vehicles.

Between the lines: Bears are among the most cautious users of wildlife crossings and can take years to trust the structures, the Washington State Department of Transportation said in a late June Instagram post.

By the numbers: Since the crossing network opened, WSDOT has recorded 38,321 wildlife crossings by 9,390 individual animal visitors.

The bottom line: Safe travels, bear buddy — and here's hoping you're the first of many.

🚧 The Revive I-5 construction project is set to resume Friday night, bringing more northbound lane closures through Seattle. The work along I-5's Ship Canal Bridge had been paused for the World Cup. (KOMO)

📹 Mayor Wilson has deactivated Stadium District surveillance cameras used during the World Cup until an audit of the city's CCTV system is complete. (KING 5)

💼 A new state filing shows Amazon cut 57 tech jobs in Washington in recent weeks. (GeekWire)

🚨 The King County Sheriff's Office said the biggest security issue during Seattle's six World Cup matches was unauthorized drones. (MyNorthwest)

🍦 Molly Moon's plans to open an ice cream shop at Northgate Station, adding another food option at the transit hub. It will be the local chain's 13th location. (KIRO)

People are deliberately chasing tans even as SPF products now promise better coverage than ever.

Why it matters: There's no such thing as a "healthy tan,'" dermatologist Nazanin Saedi told Axios. "A tan is a sign of sun damage."

Yes, but: After Seattle's long, gray winters, locals may crave the feeling of sunshine on their skin — a familiar impulse in Scandinavia where people famously strip down to savor sunny days — even if dermatologists say a tan isn't worth the risk.

Threat level: Too much UV doesn't just age your skin — it can cause cancer.

• Anthony Rossi, a dermatological surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center said he's now seeing a new generation make the same mistakes he did as a former tanning bed user who later developed skin cancer.
• "I'm cutting off more and more skin cancers" from patients in their teens, 20s and 30s, he says.

By the numbers: New invasive melanoma diagnoses rose about 47% over the past decade, per the Skin Cancer Foundation — though Rossi cautions some of that reflects more aggressive screening, not just more disease.

• Meanwhile, tanning bed use is tied to nearly triple the risk of melanoma, according to new research.

The latest: Active sunscreen ingredient bemotrizinol — popular in Europe and Asia — was just approved for use in the U.S.

The bottom line: The sun does offer real health benefits, but you don't need to skip sunscreen to get them.

Go deeper

Think you know Washington? Put your local knowledge to the test by guessing where this week's mystery photo was taken.

Ferries know the way.

Orcas sometimes pass.

I balance something ancient

Above the coastal grass.

Reply to this email to submit your guesses, or email us at [email protected].