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ClimateQuiet 39h · day 7

Washington Supreme Court strikes down voter-approved natural gas initiative

In a 6-3 ruling, justices found Initiative 2066 unconstitutional for combining unrelated subjects, ending a fight over the state's shift away from gas.

newest coverage 1d agosummary written 3d ago13 pieces61 likes & upvotes2 comments MastodonGoogle NewsNewswiresBluesky

What to know

  • The Washington Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that voter-approved Initiative 2066 is unconstitutional because it violated the single-subject rule for citizen initiatives.
  • I-2066, approved by nearly 52% of voters in 2024, was backed by the Building Industry Association of Washington and aimed to block the state's shift away from natural gas in buildings.
  • The ruling affirms a March 2025 King County Superior Court decision and follows a lawsuit from climate groups and local governments filed right after the 2024 election.
  • Three justices dissented, with Justice Sal Mungia arguing parts of the initiative could have been severed and upheld rather than voiding it entirely.

“unconstitutional in its entirety”

Washington Supreme Court, Court ruling · Daily Caller ↗ · Sep 18

Debra Stephens Chief Justice, Washington Supreme CourtSal Mungia Justice, Washington Supreme CourtGregg Small Executive director, Climate SolutionsBuilding Industry Association of Washington Sponsor of Initiative 2066Let's Go Washington Conservative political committee

Washington Supreme Court strikes down voter-approved natural gas initiative
washingtonstatestandard.com

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 9 pieces in two hours at Sep 17, 1 PM; 13 pieces over 7 days (8 articles · 5 posts) Sep 17, 1 PM — 9 pieces · 7 articles · 2 posts — Google News 7, Bluesky 1, Mastodon 1Sep 17, 3 PM — quietSep 17, 5 PM — quietSep 17, 7 PM — quietSep 17, 9 PM — quietSep 17, 11 PM — quietSep 18, 1 AM — quietSep 18, 3 AM — quietSep 18, 5 AM — quietSep 18, 7 AM — quietSep 18, 9 AM — quietSep 18, 11 AM — quietSep 18, 1 PM — quietSep 18, 3 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Bluesky 1Sep 18, 5 PM — quietSep 18, 7 PM — quietSep 18, 9 PM — quietSep 18, 11 PM — quietSep 19, 1 AM — quietSep 19, 3 AM — quietSep 19, 5 AM — quietSep 19, 7 AM — quietSep 19, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 19, 11 AM — quietSep 19, 1 PM — quietSep 19, 3 PM — quietSep 19, 5 PM — quietSep 19, 7 PM — quietSep 19, 9 PM — quietSep 19, 11 PM — quietSep 20, 1 AM — quietSep 20, 3 AM — quietSep 20, 5 AM — quietSep 20, 7 AM — quietSep 20, 9 AM — quietSep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — quietSep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Bluesky 2Sep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quiet 12
Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 2:01 AM ET
  1. 2

    National conservative outlets cover the ruling

    National outlets including the Daily Caller picked up the ruling, framing it as courts overturning a voter-backed pro-natural gas measure.

    “It is not possible by judicial construction to sever and save any of the separate provisions and therefore I-2066 is unconstitutional in its entirety.”
    — Chief Justice Debra Stephens, Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice · source
    1. 1 outlet Washington State’s Supreme Court Just Struck Down A Voter-Backed Pro-Natural Gas Measure

      first by Daily Caller, 4d ago

    • sierraclub.org

      Washington Supreme Court strikes down unconstitutional gas initiative — a huge win for clean air & energy affordability!

      sierraclub.orgBluesky1d ago22▲view on Bluesky ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 3 posts in this stretch
    • washingtonstatestandard.com

      The state Supreme Court delivered the final blow yesterday to a controversial 2024 ballot measure pushed by builders and passed by voters that sought to halt Washington’s shift away from natural gas.

      washingtonstatestandard.comBluesky5d ago13▲view on Bluesky ↗
    • sierraclub.org

      After a multi-year legal battle, the Washington Supreme Court has ruled Initiative 2066 unconstitutional.

      sierraclub.orgBluesky1d ago12▲view on Bluesky ↗
    all of them →
  2. 1 day quiet
  3. 1

    Climate Solutions hails the ruling as a win

    Gregg Small of Climate Solutions, one of the groups that sued over the measure, celebrated the decision as protecting affordable, clean energy for Washington families.

    “What a win for Washington families in keeping our energy affordable and clean.”
    — Gregg Small
    • kuow.org

      An initiative voters passed in 2024 to keep the state from moving its energy grid away from natural gas violates Washington's Constitution, a majority of the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

      kuow.orgBluesky6d ago14▲view on Bluesky ↗
    2 posts in this stretch →
  4. background

    Justice Mungia dissents, would have saved parts of the law — In a dissent joined by two other justices, Sal Mungia argued the court should have severed only the problematic sections and upheld the rest of the initiative rather than voiding it entirely.

  5. background

    WA Supreme Court affirms initiative is unconstitutional — In a 6-3 decision, the state Supreme Court affirmed the lower court, ruling I-2066 unconstitutional in its entirety because it violated the constitutional single-subject rule for citizen initiatives.

  6. background

    King County judge strikes down I-2066 — A King County Superior Court judge agreed with the plaintiffs and struck down the initiative before it ever took effect.

  7. background

    Coalition sues to block the initiative — Within days of the 2024 election's certification, a coalition including Climate Solutions, Washington Conservation Action, Front and Centered, King County and the city of Seattle sued, arguing the measure improperly combined unrelated subjects ("logrolling").

  8. background

    Voters approve Initiative 2066 on natural gas — Nearly 52% of Washington voters approved I-2066, a measure pushed by the Building Industry Association of Washington and signature-gathering group Let's Go Washington, aimed at halting the state's shift away from natural gas in homes and buildings.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 3 outlets WA Supreme Court strikes down voter-passed initiative

    first by My Bellingham Now, 6d ago · also Axios, 1170 KPUG-AM |

    1 more headline
  2. 2 outlets WATCH: Washington high court nixes voter-approved natural gas protections

    first by The Center Square, 6d ago · also Washington State Standard

    1 more headline
  3. 1 outlet Natural gas initiative ruled unconstitutional by Washington state Supreme Court

    first by KUOW, 6d ago

    1 more headline

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