Colorado voters to weigh constitutional right to natural gas
A proposed amendment backed by Advance Colorado could limit local efforts to phase gas appliances out of new buildings.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
2 min read
Colorado voters are set to decide whether to add a “Right to Natural Gas” to the state constitution, a step that could affect local building rules and the state’s climate plans. Ars Technica reported that the measure could protect fossil fuel companies’ ability to sell methane gas and may force communities to retreat from attempts to keep gas appliances out of new construction.
Advance Colorado, a conservative nonprofit, wrote the proposal and led the signature-gathering campaign to place it before voters, according to Ars Technica. The group submitted its petition on June 25 for Initiative 177, titled the “Right to Natural Gas,” to appear on the November state ballot.
The proposed amendment is brief: Ars Technica reported that it runs 60 words. Its short and broad wording is one reason the practical effects remain uncertain, because state agencies would have to decide how to carry out the amendment if voters approve it.
The measure’s central issue is whether access to natural gas should receive constitutional protection in Colorado. Ars Technica described the proposal as one that could enshrine fossil fuel companies’ right to sell methane gas, a legal change that would raise the stakes for any state or local policy that restricts gas use.
One likely point of conflict is new construction. According to Ars Technica, some Colorado communities have tried to remove gas appliances from new buildings, and Initiative 177 could require those communities to back away from such efforts if the amendment passes.
The proposal also has implications for climate policy. Ars Technica reported that many people are worried the amendment could put Colorado’s climate goals at risk, though the measure’s broad language makes it difficult to say exactly how agencies would apply it.
Natural gas is chiefly methane, a fossil fuel used in homes and buildings for equipment such as appliances. The amendment’s title uses the term “natural gas,” while Ars Technica described the protected product as methane gas sold by fossil fuel companies.
Voters will decide the issue in November’s state election if the measure remains on the ballot. Until then, the central uncertainty is how a constitutional right to natural gas would interact with local rules, state agency decisions and Colorado’s climate targets.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.