State voter Initiative 2066 seeks to overturn regulations that discourage the use of natural gas. It’s one of four initiatives that the Let’s Go Washington campaign is promoting with the slogan, “vote yes, pay less.”
But opponents – including a list of cities – say it would drive energy bills up and undo critical work toward reducing climate-warming emissions.
The initiative’s backers say political leaders in Washington have waged a war against natural gas in recent years, using building codes and local government policies to force a transition to electricity.
They argue that the transition is still too costly for homeowners and businesses, who must pay tens of thousands of dollars each, for what they say would be a small reduction in carbon emissions.
“And then the second reason is simply that people should have the choice of the energy resource that they use in their home,” said Greg Lane, executive vice president of the Building Industry Association of Washington.
BIAW is sponsoring Initiative 2066 along with restaurateurs, realtors and many other independent businesses.