Washington Initiative Measure No. 2066 (I-2066) was a popular referendum that was decided on November 5th 2024. The initiative was placed on the ballot by a coalition of organizations led by the Building Industry Association of Washington, a Tumwater-based non-profit organization representing an array of organizations in the homebuilding industries.[2] The initiative was started in response to changes to the state's building codes which were intended to provide incentives for buildings to move away from natural gas as a source of heating.[2] Initiative 2066 was approved by the voters following the November 5th, 2024 general election.[3]
Background
Washington has been pursuing a number of strategies to reduce carbon emission in the state, with a goal of reducing the state's greenhouse gas emissions by 95% by 2050.[4] One piece of this effort was the passage of HB 1589, which was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on March 28, 2024.[5] The goal of the law was to guide large utilities (primarily targeting Puget Sound Energy) to move towards home electrification as a key component of the state's decarbonization plan.[6] This happened along with changes to building codes that targeted gas-powered appliances and raised the costs of installing them relative to electric appliances.[7]
In response to these changes, a coalition of groups led by the Building Industry Association of Washington, and including non-profit groups like the Washington Hospitality Association, the Washington Realtors, and Associated General Contractors as well as the libertarian-aligned political action committee Let's Go Washington, began a petition-collection campaign to put a challenge to the parts of HB 1589 that sought to limit the use of natural gas in new homes and other constructions.[8]
Initiative 2066 was certified on July 24, 2024, having collected 533,005 signatures. [9]
Language and Impact
I-2066 placed the following question before the citizens of Washington:[10]
Initiative Measure No.2066 concerns regulating energy services, including natural gas and electrification.
This measure would repeal or prohibit certain laws and regulations that discourage natural gas use, and/or promote electrification, and require certain utilities and local governments to provide natural gas to eligible customers.
Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]
When passed, I-2066 would create a mandate to maintain natural gas access to all eligible households and businesses.[11]
According to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, the 45th District Democrats, Defend Washington, Fuse Voters, No on 2066, and Stop Greed were registered as opponents of the initiative.[12]
I-2066 passed with almost 52% of the vote, becoming the only one of the four initiatives on the 2024 Washington state ballot to pass.[17][18]
Response to I-2066 Passage
Following the passage of I-2066, Governor Jay Inslee raised questions about the legality of I-2066.[19] Environmental groups echoed this criticism, suggesting that it ran afoul of the one subject rule for initiatives in Washington state. These concerns had been raised prior to the election as well in a brief written in September by the Pacifica Law Group and professor Hugh Spitzer of the University of Washington.[20] On December 11, 2024, a law suit was filed by the city of Seattle and King County along with a coalition of environmental groups.[21][22] A week earlier on December 6, 2024, the Buildings Industry Association of Washington, the primary sponsor of the initiative, sued the state to compel it to begin bringing state laws into compliance with I-2066.[22] The building industry says that their lawsuit is about creating certainty within the industry statewide, while environmental groups joining the Seattle and King County lawsuit argue that the language of I-2066 was misleading and deceptive as well as violating the single subject rule.[23]
