Initiative Passed By WA Voters May Be Ignored By Rule Makers

In March of last year the State Legislature continued it's war on affordable means of energy when it passed House Bill 1589.  That bill effectively began a process that would result in the removal of natural gas from the State's energy profile.

This came after the State Building Code Council, in November of 2022, voted to require electric heat pumps in all new residential home construction.  The push back was significant and led to the majority party's passage of HB1589 in the following session.

Not long after the Governor gleefully applied his signature, signatures began to be gathered for Initiative 2066 which would overturn the new law.  In last month's election, voters approved I-2066, with nearly 2 million siding with the preservation of the low cost fuel source as an option for residents.

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That doesn't mean the opposition will go quietly into the night.  The Building Code Council had a meeting today (December 3rd) where the amending of the codes impacting natural gas that they passed in 2022 and after HB 1589 was passed in 2023 was not on the agenda.

The BCC has until December 5th (a mere two days from now) to repeal energy codes that block residents access to natural gas in new construction.  While the agenda for the Thursday meeting has not been released, there are questions as to whether or not they will comply with the wishes of the voters.

They Seemed Ready To Comply Before Thanksgiving

The Washington State Standard reported on Nov. 22 that the BCC was going to do their best to comply and make a "good faith effort" in address the codes that conflict with the new law (yes, the passage of an Initiative makes it a law).  That supposed good faith effort doesn't include repealing the codes, but having them reviewed.

At their meeting on Nov. 15, the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) warned of potential legal challenges if the council didn't comply with I-2066.  The U.S. Department of Energy has admitted that natural gas is the cheapest form of energy for residential use.  Electricity costs 3.5x the cost of natural gas, making it the most expensive form of residential energy.

Imagine if natural gas wasn't available as an energy source in the aftermath of the bomb cyclone that hit the Puget Sound area November 19th.  Over 600,000 people were without power.  If electric was the only option people had to heat their homes or cook their food, outcomes would have been worse.

The only way to get the unelected bureaucrats on the Building Code Council to listen, is to apply pressure.  Send an email to the BCC reminding them they do not have the authority to ignore the will of voters.  If they don't comply with the Initiative come Thursday it will only lead to taxpayer dollars being spent on avoidable litigation.

If you want to send an email advocating for them to comply with I-2066, or if you want to advocate for them to stay the current course and ignore the new law, send it to SBCC@des.wa.gov.