Approximately 51.4% of voters had cast their ballot in favor of the measure, Initiative 2066, the natural gas policies measure, when the Seattle Times and local NBC affiliate KING 5 called the Washington vote early Friday afternoon. That lead has since grown to 51.6% of voters in support of the initiative and 48.4% voting against it. With 91% of the vote in as of Monday, the Associated Press has nonetheless not called the race.

Well before the vote was called, industry groups celebrated the win after watching preliminary results.

“Given the voting trends both on election night and these past two days, it’s clear that Initiative 2066 has been approved by Washington voters,” Building Industry Association of Washington Executive Vice President Greg Lane said Thursday. “And their message couldn’t be more clear: Washington families and businesses support keeping natural gas service and they demand to have energy choice.”

Brian Heywood, the founder of Let’s Go Washington, one of the main organizations that supported the measure, also celebrated the win on Thursday, saying: “We fought for Washington’s rural communities that couldn’t survive the freezing winters and grid blackouts without natural gas. We fought for small businesses who could not afford to retrofit their buildings to electric. We fought for Washingtonians tired of being forced to comply with policies that make their lives more difficult from a legislature that has proven they aren’t listening to citizens.”

The initiative was written to bar the state’s building code council from blocking, discouraging, or penalizing the use of natural gas. It would also ban state and local governments from restricting access to natural gas for purposes such as heating or cooking with a natural gas stove. Additionally, the initiative is written to require utilities to provide natural gas, even if other energy sources are available.

The current state building code encourages and incentivizes buildings to opt for electrification, such as through heat pumps, rather than pursuing natural gas. The code does not mandate utilities or buildings to choose the greener options. 

The controversial ballot measure comes as the use of natural gas through gas stoves and heating in homes, apartments, and other buildings has been questioned over human health risks and dangerous methane emissions.

Several Democratic-run cities and states have regulated gas stoves in certain buildings. In 2021, New York became the first state to ban natural gas stoves in most new homes and buildings, going into effect as soon as 2026. Two years prior, Berkeley, California, also passed a ban on natural gas hookups in new buildings. Since then, other cities have followed suit, including San Francisco and Los Angeles.

By voting for the measure, voters in Washington state have ensured that no bans on natural gas can be implemented in the state in the future. Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA) has long called for a phaseout of natural gas in the state. In 2022, Inslee insisted the onus for reducing pollution had fallen on the states, encouraging his state to “restrain the future use of dirty gas,” according to Axios. Instead, Inslee said there should be more use of “alternative means of heating and cooking, which we know are effective.” 

The initiative that appeared on the ballot Tuesday is in response to a state law passed earlier this year, House Bill 1589, which was meant to create programs and requirements to incentivize utility companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as lead customers to reduce personal emissions. Under the law, utilities have until 2027 to submit their plans to comply. 

The ballot measure was hotly debated within the state for months, with supporters saying it would prevent a “gas ban.” The BIAW, which helped sponsor the campaign behind the measure, argued that Washingtonians should maintain the choice to use natural gas — pointing to how many currently live their lives. 

“Do you like cooking with natural gas? Do you have a gas water heater or furnace? Do you enjoy eating out at restaurants?” the BIAW said. “If so, then vote Yes on 2066 to keep the gas on in your homes and at countless restaurants and businesses.”

Opponents, meanwhile, said it targeted the state’s efforts to become more energy-efficient and also noted it would roll back climate goals. Washington Conservation Action argued that passing the initiative would increase energy bills and decrease energy efficiency. The organization also said the fossil fuel industry funded the initiative, saying it would prevent towns from deciding on energy choices. 

The initiative is expected to go into effect next month.