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News / Opinion / Columns

Donnelly: I-2066 protects free market, individual choice

By Ann Donnelly

Published: August 3, 2024, 6:01am

On July 24, Initiative 2066, which would overturn the state’s banning of gas service to homes and businesses, was certified for the November ballot. Voters now have a chance to support the diversity of energy choices that has long provided reliability.

I-2066 completes the most consequential listing of statewide ballot measures at least in the last 35 years, joining I-2109 (repealing the state’s capital gains tax), I-2117 (repealing the cap-and-trade carbon pricing program), and I-2124 (making the long-term care benefit program voluntary).

I-2066 signers weighed in with 546,000 signatures, the most for an initiative in over 50 years.

Strengthening support, I-2066 has an array of industry groups, including the Building Industry Association of Washington, the Washington Hospitality Association, Associated General Contractors of Washington, Washington Aggregates & Concrete Association, and Washington Realtors.

It also is backed by Let’s Go Washington, a movement founded by Washington businessman Brian Heywood, who has become the leader of Washington’s free market advocacy movement.

On the other side, progressive groups, unions, and government employees are gearing up to contest I-2066. They support the state’s right to redesign the state’s energy industry, thereby depriving individuals of free choice and forcing long-term risks and costs on individuals and businesses.

The Building Industry Association sees the future in stark terms. “Washington’s right to use gas for heating and cooking is in danger. The state has been working to ban natural gas from all homes and businesses. If they’re successful, households will be forced to spend more than $40,000 to convert from natural gas to electric.”

Passage of I-2066 will stop the state from banning, restricting, or discouraging gas and gas appliances in homes and businesses, and makes sure gas utilities will continue to provide natural gas to customers who want it. It does not force anyone to use natural gas or appliances and protects energy incentives if a customer so chooses.

Fundamentally, I-2066 stands up for individual freedom and free market approaches. But it also recognizes the looming danger from overreliance on electricity, which for decades has worked in complementary fashion with the natural gas industry to fill peak as well as baseload energy demand.

Passage of I-2066 would encourage Northwest gas utilities that customers need, want, and will pay for their product.

During January’s cold event, during one peak hour, electricity consumption supplied 30 percent of energy consumed, and the region’s natural gas utilities 70 percent, not including for electricity generation, according to the NW Gas Association.

The Northwest imported electricity for all 120 hours of the cold snap, while hydro was short on water, according to Benton PUD General Manager Rick Dunn in his May 2024 analysis.

Forcing this issue is the Washington Clean Energy Transformation Act, setting mandates for utilities to be greenhouse-gas neutral by 2030 and 100 percent clean by 2045.

Yet, in the federal government’s most recent reporting, Washington’s energy consumption shows natural gas as its largest component at 24 percent. Adding gasoline, jet fuel and other petroleum, the fossil fuel components totaled 73 percent of the 1,575 trillion BTUs consumed in the year.

The replacements — small nuclear, hydrogen, battery technology, others — are in development. Their feasibility, timing and costs are largely unknown.

There is a gap between the CETA mandates and energy system reality. Passage of I-2066 will tell legislators to face reality.

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