A ballot initiative that would enshrine the right to natural gas has qualified for the November ballot, the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office confirmed on Thursday.
Petitions containing signatures for Initiative No. 177 were turned in to the Secretary of State’s Office for review in late June. On Thursday, the Secretary of State’s Office said 146,165 of the 189,508 signatures collected were valid, surpassing the threshold.
The initiative from Advance Colorado establishes consumers’ right to purchase natural gas for cooking and heating their homes and businesses, as well as the right of distributors and utilities to sell natural gas to homes and businesses.
“Natural gas is a clean, reliable and affordable form of energy that more than 70% of Colorado homes use today,” said Michael Fields, president of Advance Colorado. “That right should be protected.”
The environmental organization Conservation Colorado has introduced four ballot initiatives to counter Initiative 177. Those measures would have, among other provisions, established statutory liability for oil and gas companies operating in Colorado found to have damaged the state’s air, water, land or communities and prohibited them from passing on costs to customers for pipeline extensions or decommissioning.
The measures did not qualify for the ballot.
“Renewable energy is the fastest and cheapest energy to deploy, so this cynical attempt to lock fossil fuels into the state constitution would leave Coloradans with higher utility bills and dirty air,” said Conservation Colorado’s CEO Kelly Nordini. “If the Advanced Colorado initiative moves forward, we’ll work to inform Coloradans of the risks and ensure industry is fully accountable for the impacts of drilling.”