This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at coloradosun.com.
Colorado voters will decide in November whether to put a “right to natural gas” in the state constitution.
The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said Thursday that supporters of the measure turned in enough voter signatures to get the initiative on the ballot. Backers had to collect about 125,000 signatures, including from 2% of the voters in each of the state’s 25 state Senate districts, to qualify.
Initiative 177 seeks to prevent state and local bans or limits on natural gas sales and use in Colorado and overturn any existing laws or regulations to that effect.
Specifically, the measure would amend the state constitution to say that “consumers have the right to purchase natural gas for cooking or heating in homes or businesses throughout the state” and that “distributors and utilities have the right to sell natural gas for homes or businesses.”
Since it would amend the state constitution to add new language, the measure needs the support of 55% of voters to pass.
Advance Colorado, a conservative political nonprofit that doesn’t disclose its donors, crafted the measure and is paying for the campaign to pass it.
Initiative 177 will be among at least eight measures on the November statewide ballot. There could ultimately be upwards of 15.
