Washington state voters appear to have narrowly approved a ballot measure Tuesday that would protect access to natural gas for the foreseeable future.
Supporters of the bill declared victory Tuesday, but the count remains tight and provisional and other votes have not yet been counted, according to the Columbia newspaper.
As of Tuesday morning, Washington's Secretary of State According to the tally, there were just under 1.8 million “yes” votes and 1.68 million “no” votes, or about 52 to 48 percent.
The measure would prohibit state regulators from approving plans that would encourage Washingtonians to turn off their natural gas service and require power companies to provide the energy source to anyone who requests it, according to the Seattle Times. It is said to be a thing.
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“The people realize that access to natural gas improves the safety, well-being, and standard of living for all people in Washington,” the ballot measure states. “People also realize that maintaining Washington’s gas infrastructure and systems promotes energy choice, security, independence, and resiliency across the state.
“Natural gas is a convenient and important necessity for the following reasons: It serves as a backup energy source in emergencies, gives consumers more options for heating, sanitation, cooking and meal preparation, and other household activities, and lowers costs. and essential businesses such as restaurants.”
The measure would also limit future natural gas bans in the Evergreen State.
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Supporters of the measure write that public and corporate policies impact residents' ability to decide for themselves which energy sources to use.
Outgoing Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill earlier this year that moves utilities away from natural gas. Some reports said the measure was in response to the bill.
Mr. Inslee and his successor, Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson, were heavily criticized by prominent supporters of the ballot measure, who accused Mr. Inslee of threatening to sue if the measure passed.
Brian Haywood called Inslee an “arrogant bastard” in an interview on KIRO radio after Inslee said “there's a very good chance the court will find that.” [the measure] It said the text “did not adequately explain the actual content.”
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An internal memo obtained by Fox News Digital in 2023 shows the Biden administration was seriously considering banning natural gas-fired stoves, before receiving widespread criticism for its consideration.
Richard Trumka Jr., President Biden's nominee to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said in a memo dated October 25, 2022, that the commission has enough information to move forward with the “proposed notice.” I wrote to my fellow committee members that I had proof. “Creating rules to ban gas stoves.”
The passage of ballot measures in blue states runs counter to the Biden administration's bid to tightly regulate natural gas and other power sources deemed not environmentally sufficient.
