"This will impact those who can least afford it" -Rep. Peter Abbarno on anti-energy bill: HB 1689

Madam speaker we're here at 1:50 in the morning in the dark of night in the dark of morning pushing a policy that is going to have massively regressive impacts on Washington Madam speaker at 6 o' at dinner time yesterday this policy was ready to be discussed and de baited on the house floor and we're now 78 hours later while Washington sleeps while Puget Sound Energy customers sleep and we're passing a policy please speak to the policy please proceed as I said we're passing a policy that creates a half% tax on utility gross operating revenues that accelerates depreciation schedule on psse assets which is going to also accelerate the cost on those customers Madam speaker I'm not sure what the temperature was when we passed this policy but in places like Oak Harbor and Clinton it's 32 degrees and for the 900,000 natural gas customers in the Puget Sound that use Puget Sound Energy for heating and for cooking those are the folks that I Rise and I ask for a no vote today for this is going to have a regressive impact on those people it's going to have an impact on those who can least afford this policy and while they're is no longer an obligation to serve Madam speaker under this bill petown energy can phase out gas they can phase out gas in this bill and what's going to happen with this policy they will and at what cost we heard on the house floor just a moment ago that the about 35 to 40% of P petown energy customers are already energy overburdened and those folks are going to have to make the tough decisions at the kitchen table what will they go without to meet this policy this policy that's forced upon them I'm asking for a no vote