Why We’re Voting No on I-2066

Let’s get straight to the point: We oppose Initiative 2066.

Washington State is taking steps to keep our bodies healthy and our economies strong with clean and affordable energy. Our current laws enable utilities to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by transitioning away from natural gas to clean fuel sources for our home heating, hot water, and cooking appliances.

But a rich and powerful few, who have deep pockets and no regard or respect for the rights of our communities, are pushing back with I-2066. This initiative will undermine gains we’ve made in the fight against climate change. We must stand up for ourselves.

From source to use, natural gas is a hazard to our health and well-being. Fracking and gas pipelines emit GHG into the atmosphere, accounting for over a third of all emissions in the country. And air pollution from gas hits hard even closer to home—homes with gas stoves see significantly higher incidences of childhood asthma than homes with electric cooking and heating appliances.

A clean energy transition that falters and reverses course will cost far more than the necessary investment our state has been and must continue to make into our future well-being.

And guess on whom the cost of doing nothing, or going backwards, will fall? On the same people it always falls—Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities who have been restricted by those in power when it comes to choosing where we live, how we work, and how to keep our children safe.

Natural gas is currently more costly than electricity and projected to rise in cost. We can heat our homes, water, and food with cleaner, more affordable power sources. Our lawmakers have started to take action towards a just energy transition, and we must affirm that by voting No on I-2066 to ensure that utilities can plan for and act to create the kind of progress that supports our ability to thrive instead of putting more burdens on our communities.

Vote No on Initiative 2066 to choose our health, safety, and well-being.