Colorado lawmakers seek to put 'guardrails' on proposed natural gas ballot measure
Colorado Democrats intend to introduce a bill in the waning days of the legislative session that would blunt the potential impact of a conservative ballot initiative to enshrine a right to buy natural gas in the state constitution.
The bill would define what a “right” to natural gas would look like and seek to enact guardrails in order to protect public health and safety should the initiative pass.
“We are working with public partners, with local government and with utilities, to talk about how we can craft the right framework to ensure that, should this ballot measure pass, we don’t see natural gas stands popping up on the side of the road where people — because they have a right to natural gas — can start putting up a shingle and selling it,” House Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Dillon Democrat, told reporters Friday.
Initiative 177 is backed by the right-leaning organization Advance Colorado. It is a proposed, two-sentence constitutional amendment that would give consumers the right to buy natural gas for cooking and heating, as well as producers the right to sell it. Backers have until the end of June to gather enough signatures to get it on the November ballot.
https://coloradonewsline.com/2026/05/08/colorado-lawmakers-seek-to-put-guardrails-on-proposed-natural-gas-ballot-measure/