Opponents of Washington’s carbon credit auction have pounced on a former state economist’s retaliation claim against the state after his refusal to keep quiet about his calculations showing Washington’s cap-and-trade program would increase gas prices by 45 to 50 cents per gallon.

KING 5 first reported on a legal claim filed Thursday by the Citizen Action Defense Fund on behalf of Tumwater’s Scott Smith, 64, who worked for the state Department of Transportation as an economist. The complaint argues Smith was threatened to keep his prediction of gas price hikes from the public and told not to put anything in writing that could be subject to a public records request.

The legal claim was filed against the WSDOT, the Office of Financial Management and the Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration.

Smith, who had worked as a public sector economist for 35 years, contends he was forced out and that his career has been ruined because he refused to lie about how Washington’s carbon auction program would impact gas prices.