OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Two state agencies have been cleared of wrongdoing in a whistleblower’s allegations over the carbon “cap-and-invest” program.

Former WSDOT Economist Scott Smith claimed in a lawsuit that he was fired in retaliation for maintaining the program would increase fuel prices by 40 or 50 cents.

Conservative nonprofit Citizen Action Defense Fund (CADF) sued the agencies on behalf of Smith in March.

Smith alleges in the suit that he was told by his supervisor that management “would prefer” that he omit the estimated numbers from his report.

An investigation by an outside law firm found that Smith misinterpreted the statement as an order to withhold information from consumers.

The governor’s office also says the Department of Ecology is the lead agency overseeing the carbon pricing program and makes its own cost estimates.

The law firm’s investigation cleared WSDOT and the Office of Financial Management of wrongdoing in Smith’s firing.