WA voters to weigh 4 ballot measures this fall as natural gas initiative qualifies for 2024 election

A statewide ballot measure to guarantee energy customers’ access to natural gas in Washington is headed to voters this fall.

It’s part of an ongoing debate over how energy sources in the state should evolve in response to climate change.

The measure, Initiative 2066, is one of four initiatives set to appear on the ballot this November that target climate and tax policies championed by Democrats in the Legislature.

If passed, I-2066 would prohibit the state from banning or discouraging the use of natural gas. The state does not currently have a natural gas ban, but supporters of this new ballot measure have pitched it as a rejection of a potential ban.

“People do want this choice, they want to be able to use the products that make the most sense for them,” said Tracy Doriot, a homebuilder from Vancouver, Washington, who supports I-2066.

Critics, including lawmakers who work on state energy policy and groups that champion progressive or environmental causes, say support for the newest ballot initiative has been based on a misinformation campaign.

“Even the initiative sponsors will say that there’s no natural gas ban as they’re handing out signs that say there’s a natural gas ban,” said Sen. Joe Nguyễn (D-White Center), during an interview with the NW News Network in early July. Nguyễn chairs the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee in the Legislature.

But Doriot said that electric alternatives to natural gas aren’t as easily available yet, and that builders have struggled to meet state building efficiency rules while keeping costs low, especially if customers want to use natural gas in larger homes.

“As things like batteries and those sorts of things improve, people will migrate that direction because it’s a natural evolution,” Doriot said. “But when it’s forced upon us by regulation and mandates, it really is difficult to make all of those economic pieces make sense.”

Backers of I-2066 include home builders, the hospitality industry, and the group Let’s Go Washington, helmed by conservative hedge fund manager Brian Heywood. They rallied behind the proposal after the Legislature passed a bill earlier this year to help facilitate Puget Sound Energy’s transition to electric power, and following recent changes to the state’s energy code that have stirred up lawsuits and consternation among the home construction industry.

The Secretary of State’s office confirmed Wednesday that I-2066 received enough signatures to go on the ballot this November. Backers of the proposal delivered more than half a million signatures to get it on the ballot – well above the minimum requirement of 324,516 signatures from registered Washington voters.

That means now, voters across the state will see I-2066 alongsidethree other initiatives on their ballots this fall. The other three measures aim to make a long-term care payroll tax completely optional, and to repeal the state’s capital gains tax and key parts of a law targeting greenhouse gas emissions.