State panel not ready to scrap building codes targeted by gas initiative

The natural gas initiative Washington voters approved calls for erasing some of the state’s building codes but that might not happen when the measure takes effect next month.

Sponsors of Initiative 2066 contend that upon certification of the election results on Dec. 5, changes made to the energy code earlier this year will be unenforceable. Those changes offer builders permitting incentives for choosing electric heat pumps – which provide both heating and cooling in the same unit – instead of natural gas furnaces.

On Friday, the Building Industry Association of Washington pressed the state Building Code Council to avoid a legal challenge by making clear it would immediately ditch the rules and begin rewriting them. But the panel declined to do what the association asked as council members voiced concern about the consequences of moving too fast.

“We need to address it. I don’t think there’s an emergency,” said Roger Heeringa, a council member. “If we act before Dec. 5 we’re going to get sued. If we act after Dec. 5 we’re going to get sued. We need to figure out what’s the right thing for us to do.”

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/11/15/state-panel-not-ready-to-scrap-building-codes-targeted-by-gas-initiative/