Corey Condron and Robin Bernhart: Protect natural gas as an energy choice
By Corey Condron and Robin Bernhart
This summer, 546,000 people signed Initiative 2066 to give voters the opportunity to protect natural gas as an energy choice for their stoves, fireplaces, furnaces and hot water heaters. Supporters gathered all those signatures in just 50 days, demonstrating the state’s overwhelming support for natural gas as an energy choice.
Natural gas is under attack
In Eastern Washington, thousands of families rely on natural gas as their primary source for heating and cooking or as a backup energy source when the power goes out.
For years, special interests have worked to ban natural gas across the state through changes to Washington’s building code, in the legislature and at the local level – including in Spokane.
The Building Industry Association of Washington drafted Initiative 2066 to protect the people’s right to choose natural gas and keep governments at all levels and across the state from banning or disincentivizing natural gas in Washington.
People need choices
Homebuilders joined in supporting Initiative 2066 for several reasons. First, we know building new homes with all-electric appliances today is at least $13,000 higher than it was to build using energy-efficient gas appliances before the new energy codes took effect.
The median price of a new home in the Spokane area is $602,498, requiring a household income of $179,644 just to qualify for a mortgage. That means 89% of our residents are priced out – and every $1,000 increase cuts out 111 more households.
We also know that electric heat pumps are not as reliable as the gas furnaces and fireplaces many families have now – and they don’t provide any help when the power goes out in our freezing cold winters.
New homeowners aren’t the only ones affected. More than 1.3 million households have natural gas. When the state forces our utilities to eliminate natural gas service, homeowners, apartments and businesses with natural gas appliances will need to rip them out and replace them with electric-only appliances.
We’ve determined the cost to convert a natural gas home to all-electric is at least $40,000–and could be even more. The cost to convert multi-family facilities, restaurants or hotels is even more.
Banning natural gas hurts small businesses
Over 100,000 Washington businesses rely on natural gas. Many hospitality businesses, like hotels and restaurants, are still strapped with significant debt from COVID-19. Most will have to pay at least six figures to convert equipment, rewire and replace panels for the higher electric load–and others will pay more than a million. This will crush our hospitality industry.
Gas bans also hurt the fireplace and barbecue industry. Manufacturers producing gas appliances have hundreds of employees and hearth products dealers also employ thousands of people around the state with good, family-wage jobs. When they lose the gas fireplace business, many of those jobs will be lost, too.
Our energy grid can’t handle it
Utilities across the state frequently urge families to conserve power during winter cold snaps due to our fragile energy grid. Why would we even consider removing an essential piece of our energy mix?
Even here in Eastern Washington where we have access to abundant hydroelectric power, Avista’s energy mix includes 33% natural gas.
And policymakers regularly threaten to remove hydroelectric dams. Solar and wind must have supplemental power to be effective.
Initiative 2066 protects natural gas as the vital energy source we need for energy security.
Homebuilders, restaurant and hotel owners, labor unions, brewers, hearth and barbecue companies and families across Washington worked together to bring I-2066 to the ballot. Vote Yes on I-2066 in November.
Corey Condron owns Condron Homes in Spokane. Condron Homes has built quality homes in Spokane since 1974. Robin Bernhart is the managing partner of Landmark Restaurants, Spokane’s longest-running, locally owned and operated full-service restaurant company. Landmark Restaurants include Frank’s Diner and the Onion Taphouse and Grill.