Court takes up voter-approved natural gas protection

The Washington Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday in a case challenging Initiative 2066, a measure approved by voters in Nov. 2024, to make sure natural gas wasn’t phased out as an energy choice.

The courtroom was packed, with extra seats brought in to accommodate the large interest in the case as opponents urged the justices to throw out the measure for violating the single subject rule, while supporters argued the initiative is constitutional and should be upheld to support the will of the people.

The argument was brought to the state’s highest court after a King County Superior Court judge ruled in March, 2025, I-2066 was unconstitutional due to violating the single-subject rule by covering multiple unrelated topics.

I-2066 was approved by nearly 2 million voters in November 2024 and the Building Industry Association of Washington, which backed the measure, argues it did not violate the single-subject rule and should be ruled constitutional.

The Washington Supreme Court accepted direct review of the case and stated that it would consider it “de novo,” meaning the justices will consider the merits of the case without being bound by the lower court’s decision.

During Thursday’s arguments, Paul Lawrence with Climate Solutions, one of the environmental groups that challenged the constitutionality of the initiative, argued the measure deals with more than one subject.

“I-2066 represents a classic case of a logrolling, combining popular proposals with proposals that voters might or might not reject,” Lawrence said. “I think the law is very clear right now that under Article 2, Section 19, if there are multiple subjects, you have to strike the entire initiative.”