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A MOTION expressing the King County council's opposition to the approval of Washington state Initiative 2066, which, if approved by voters, would repeal or prohibit certain laws and regulations that discourage natural gas use, or promote electrification, or both, and require certain utilities and local governments to provide natural gas to eligible customers.

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                     WHEREAS, Washington state Initiative 2066 concerning regulating energy services, including natural gas and electrification, which, if approved by the voters, would repeal or prohibit certain laws and regulations that discourage natural gas use, or promote electrification, or both, and require certain utilities and local governments to provide natural gas to eligible customers, will be before Washington state voters in the general election on November 5, 2024, and

                     WHEREAS, according to the King County 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan, building and facility energy use is the region's second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, representing nearly half of King County's carbon emissions, and

                     WHEREAS, Chapter 423, Laws of Washington 2009 supported reduced emissions, stipulating that the Washington state Energy Code shall be designed to "construct increasingly energy efficient homes and buildings by the year 2031," compared to the 2006 baseline, and

                     WHEREAS, the King County 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan set goals for the phase-out of fossil fuels for heating and water heating in both King County's operations and at the countywide scale, including operational targets of reducing fossil fuel use in existing buildings by at least twenty percent by 2030, fifty percent by 2040, and eighty percent by 2050, compared to a 2017 baseline, and

                     WHEREAS, local jurisdictions across the state currently have the ability to debate and implement policies regulating building codes, climate resilience, and environmental protection that best serve their local communities, as long as it is in compliance with state and federal law, and

                     WHEREAS, Initiative 2066, Section 10, limits that power and reads as follows:  "A county shall not in any way prohibit, penalize, or discourage the use of gas for any form of heating, or for uses related to any appliance or equipment, in any building," and

                     WHEREAS, Initiative 2066 would interfere with King County's ability to meet long-standing goals to decrease building emissions in a timely manner, and would jeopardize the county's ability to meet its own greenhouse gas reduction goals, and

                     WHEREAS, RCW 42.17A.555(1) authorizes the King County council to take action to express a collective decision, or to actually vote upon a motion, proposal, resolution, order, or ordinance, or to support or oppose a ballot measure so long as (a) any required notice of the meeting includes the title and number of the ballot proposition, and (b) members of the legislative body, members of the board, council, or commission of the special purpose district, or members of the public are afforded an approximately equal opportunity for the expression of an opposing view, and

                     WHEREAS, consistent with RCW 42.17A.555, the King County council considered Initiative 2066 at its October 15, 2024, regular meeting, and provided members of the public and council an approximately equal opportunity to express support or opposition to Initiative 2066;

                     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:

                     The King County council expresses its opposition to Initiative 2066 and

encourages the voters of King County to reject Initiative 2066, at the November 5, 2024, general election.