A King County Superior Court judge ruled Friday.
Initiative 2066, narrowly approved by voters at around 52%, is unconstitutional, Judge Sandra Widran ruled. Simply put, the initiative is too broad and covers so many positions that it violates the state’s single subject rules to keep them simple enough for voters to understand.
“The reason for the single subject requirement is to prevent ‘log rolling’ or to push unwanted laws by attaching the desired law to the desired law,” Widran said. “This is the difficult task of this matter because the body of the initiative is so broad and free, it’s difficult to say exactly what the general topic is.”
Not only did I-2066 try to protect access to natural gas, it also weakened building standards, which are more difficult and expensive to add natural gas heating with new construction. This topic has brought strong opposition from those who want to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the Washington planet.
In all, I-2066 was one of the November voting initiatives backed by Republican megadonor Brian Haywood (official sponsored by Washington’s Building Industry Association). He also aimed to repeal the Climate Commitment Act, killing the state’s capital gains tax and making payroll taxes an option that funds the state’s long-term care insurance program.
Voters roundly rejected other initiatives, but I-2066 squealed. And in December, climate advocates joined by King County and the city of Seattle appealed the state to try to counteract the natural gas initiative.
The success of that lawsuit marks yet another defeat for Haywood on Friday, with his first real foray into Washington’s politics. Widlan’s decision, along with environmental groups, sparked a celebration for city and county officials.
“Initiative 2066 was rushed to the vote and supported by businesses in millions of dollars, which tried to mislead voters in language that was confusing, harmful and unconstitutional.
Haywood was unable to contact us immediately for comment Friday, nor was he able to officials with the state attorney general’s office. However, Greglane, executive vice president of the Washington Building Industry Association, said his organization will continue to defend the initiative.
“We will not leave the fight to ensure the will of those who voted to create the I-2066 law,” Lane said in a statement. “We will continue to use all available paths, including the appeal to the state Supreme Court, to protect the energy choices of Washingtonians.”
