Washington high court voids voter-approved natural gas measure

The Washington Supreme Court struck down Initiative 2066, a 2024 voter-approved measure protecting natural gas access, in a 6-3 decision finding it illegally combined four distinct subjects: gas access, air quality authority, building codes, and the state's decarbonization law. Chief Justice Debra Stephens wrote that it was impossible to know which, if any, of the four would have won on its own, and that no part of the measure could be salvaged.

The ruling affirms a King County Superior Court decision from last year and ends a legal fight brought by the nonprofit Climate Solutions. Three dissenting justices, including Salvador Mungia, argued the majority should have preserved parts of the initiative rather than voiding it entirely, calling the outcome a rejection of the voters' will.

The Building Industry Association of Washington, a defendant in the case, said the ruling undoes the choice nearly two million voters made and vowed to keep fighting for what it calls energy choice, while the plaintiffs' attorneys said the decision simply reaffirms that ballot measures cannot bundle unrelated policies together.

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