Legal clashes loom over gas initiative

Plus our conference headliner revealed, and some recommended reading

The long-term fate of Initiative 2066 looks headed for the black-robed laps of the Supremes as both sides of the fiery debate over natural gas look increasingly litigious.

Opponents of the initiative, which rolled back various restrictions on the use of gas, are fixing to challenge the measure for violating the single-subject rule, which generally requires that initiatives only do one thing. The election results won’t be certified until Dec. 5, so all of this is technically premature. The initiative passed with 51.64% of the statewide vote. 

I-2066 both paves over the Washington State Building Codes Council’s decision to effectively mandate electric heat pumps over gas furnaces and water heaters AND also repeals parts of a bill designed to help Puget Sound Energy transition its customers from gas to electricity. 

The Supremes have historically been sticklers over the single-subject rule when it comes to ballot initiatives. Most famously, back in 2000, they tossed Tim Eyman’s Initiative 695, which both repealed the motor vehicle excise tax AND required voter approval for tax increases.¹