Washington State Voters Approve Natural Gas Ban Block

November 12, 2024 TruthUSA

The ballot measure prohibits state and local governments from limiting access to natural gas.

Washington state voters have rejected most of this year’s ballot initiatives, except for the one that maintains natural gas as a viable option for homes and businesses statewide.

On November 9, the office of the Washington state secretary announced that with all 3.4 million votes counted, over half of voters (51.64 percent) supported I-2066, the measure concerning natural gas policies.

Under I-2066, state and local governments are prohibited from restricting access to natural gas for uses like heating homes and operating kitchen facilities in restaurants. It also bars the state building code council from discouraging or penalizing the use of natural gas in buildings.

Moreover, the measure prevents the state’s utility regulatory agency from approving any rate plan that mandates or incentivizes utility companies to discontinue natural gas service or make it prohibitively expensive.

Opponents of I-2066 argued that the initiative undermines crucial climate-related efforts and could potentially raise energy costs. However, supporters maintained that individuals should have the freedom to select the energy source for their homes and businesses.

The Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW), the organization behind the ballot initiative, hailed the initial results as a victory even prior to the official declaration.

“Given the voting trends both on election night and these past two days, it’s evident that Initiative 2066 has been endorsed by Washington voters,” Greg Lane, BIAW’s executive vice president, stated on November 7. “Their message couldn’t be clearer: Washington families and businesses support maintaining natural gas service, and they insist on having energy options.”

I-2066 was crafted in response to a recent law called the Washington Decarbonization Act, part of the state’s broader climate action agenda led by Democrats. While the 2024 law doesn’t explicitly mandate a phaseout of natural gas, it requires Puget Sound Energy (PSE), the state’s largest natural gas provider, to submit a plan detailing how it will reduce greenhouse emissions by transitioning from natural gas to electricity.

The law also mandates PSE to cease offering rebates or incentives to customers for purchasing gas appliances starting January 1, 2025. Instead, the company must educate customers about the advantages of transitioning to electricity and the availability of rebates for energy-efficient electric devices.

Industry groups, including BIAW, criticized the law for what they deemed as deceptive language.

“A ban by any other name remains a ban,” BIAW stated in a release advocating for I-2066. “A ban today or a ban in ten years is still a ban.”

The initiative is expected to take effect next month.

The three unsuccessful initiatives include I-2109, which sought to repeal a 7 percent capital gains tax on the sale or exchange of assets exceeding $250,000; I-2124, which would have allowed individuals to opt out of the state’s long-term care insurance program; and I-2117, which aimed to revoke the Climate Commitment Act, Governor Jay Inslee’s landmark legislation making Washington one of only two states requiring businesses to pay a carbon tax.

Inslee, a Democrat who focused largely on climate-related measures during his short-lived 2020 presidential run, celebrated the defeat of I-2117.

“Over the next four years, the country will … be seeking advancements in these value systems, especially in climate change,” Inslee stated in a press conference on November 6. “It can now look at Washington and receive the message from this moment and place that standing against climate change is a winning message. This is a message that will resonate throughout the United States. That’s why it’s crucial that we uphold this initiative; otherwise, it could have dampened enthusiasm for climate action.”

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