The Colorado Sun reports that Colorado lawmakers are making a last-minute move to counter Initiative 177, a proposed constitutional amendment backed by Advance Colorado that would give consumers a right to buy natural gas and distributors a right to sell it.
The fight has Democrats at the Capitol worried the state is about to slide back into the oil-and-gas ballot wars. It also threatens the uneasy 2024 truce between industry, environmental groups and state leaders, which tightened air rules, added a production fee expected to raise $80 million for transportation and conservation, and came with a promise that the parties involved would not back major oil-and-gas policy fights through 2027.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Initiative 177 would put a “right to natural gas” in the Colorado Constitution. That means consumers could have constitutional protection to buy it for heating and cooking, and distributors could have constitutional protection to sell it. Radical stuff, apparently. People wanting affordable heat in Colorado. Call NORAD.
- Advance Colorado is still gathering signatures ahead of a June 25 deadline. To qualify, it must submit valid signatures from 2% of registered voters in each of Colorado’s 35 state senate districts. If it gets on the ballot, it needs 55% statewide approval. In other words, voters would have to make a serious decision, which is precisely the sort of thing the Capitol class finds deeply alarming.
- House Speaker Julie McCluskie said lawmakers want to make sure the amendment does not threaten public safety or local air quality. She asked whether a right to natural gas means people can “just walk around with it in a container on the street.” Yes, because that is definitely what voters mean when they say they want to keep their furnace and stove. Nothing says serious governance like pretending your neighbor wants to cosplay as a pipeline.
- Michael Fields of Advance Colorado says the measure is about protecting consumers from rising energy costs and preserving access to reliable, affordable energy. He also noted that a constitutional amendment outranks a statute. Civics 101, now apparently controversial among people who write laws for a living.
- Conservation Colorado has filed its own ballot measures in response, including proposals that would make it easier to sue oil and gas companies and restrict certain utility charges related to natural gas pipelines. Its director called them “purely defensive.” Sure. And a porcupine is just a defensive hamster with attorneys.
My Bottom Line
Once again, your betters at the state legislature know better than you. Silly citizen, thinking your vote matters. Before Coloradans even get a clean shot at deciding whether natural gas belongs in the Constitution, lawmakers are racing in at the end of session to pre-wire the outcome, soften the landing, narrow the meaning and generally put bubble wrap around democracy so voters cannot hurt themselves.
I find this disgusting. Not because every ballot measure is brilliant. Plenty of them are written like a hostage note from a committee. But the instinct on display here is the problem. The people may get a say, but only after the Capitol crowd has tucked in the corners, stapled on exceptions and explained that your choice is valid only if it fits the approved policy menu.
And spare me the panic theater. Nobody serious thinks a constitutional right to natural gas means people get to stroll around downtown with explosive material like they are running a Looney Tunes energy company. That is not an argument. That is what happens when a bad faith hypothetical gets dressed up in a blazer and testifies.
Colorado needs affordable, reliable energy. It also needs clean air and responsible rules. Adults can handle both thoughts at the same time. What we do not need is a legislature launching a proactive strike against the will of voters because the peasants might choose wrong. If your policy is so righteous, make the case and win the vote. Quit hiding behind procedural sandbags and calling it leadership.
Source: The Colorado Sun
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