"Stop the Gas Ban" Initiative 2066 Gathers 452,002 Signatures

On July 5, 2024, supporters of I-2066 "Stop the Gas Ban" initiative delivered 546,002 signatures to give Washington voters a chance to protect their energy freedom. This effort was the latest initiative sponsored by non-partisan group Let's Go Washington whose top funding comes from Brian Heywood, Steve Gordon, and the Building Industry Association of WA (BIAW).

The initiative came as a result of the passage of "House Bill 1589 requested by Puget Sound Energy, [which] insulates the state’s largest monopoly utility company from paying the price for impractical state-mandated carbon-reduction goals by cutting off gas service to their customers," say Washington legislators opposed to the new law.

On the other hand, Gov. Jay Inslee helped push the new legislation through, stating, "this bill creates the roadmap and tools for our state’s largest utility to get out of the fossil fuel business…"

Burien businesses, including RE/MAX All-City and Economy Wiring, helped the effort by collecting petitions from Burien residents eager to spread awareness in their communities.

Average Cost to Convert

By BIAW's calculations, the average cost per household to convert from gas to electric would be nearly $40,000.

Let's Go Washington!

Initiative I-2066 "Stop the Gas Ban" is not the only initiative to be sponsored by Let's Go Washington in the past year. They have racked up an impressive collection in such a short time. Here is a listing of the initiatives, according to the Let's Go Washington website.

Each of the initiatives affect everyday Washingtonians in many ways:

Three of the people’s initiatives were heard and passed by the legislature and will become law on June 5th. Those initiatives are:

• I-2111 guarantees that Washington state remains an income tax free state.
• I-2113 will make our communities safer by removing restrictions from police officers to chase suspects of a crime.
• I-2081 ensures that as the parent of a child in Washington state schools, you have access to their educational materials, medical records, and other personal information related to your child.

The remaining three initiatives will appear on your November ballot to be voted on this year. Those remaining initiatives are:

• I-2117 will save Washingtonians hundreds of dollars every year by removing the hidden gas tax, sending our hard-earned money to pet projects that do nothing to improve the environment.
• I-2109 allows you to remain in control of your money and keeps the government out of your accounts.
• I-2124 provides the option for Washingtonians to opt-out of the state run long term care program that has been a failure since its inception.

As of Friday, July 5, voters can expect to see another initiative on the ballot:

• I-2066 will give Washingtonians the freedom of energy choice by requiring access to natural gas.

Let's Go Washington adds, "each of these initiatives were crafted by the people, for the people and give power back to Washingtonians."