Colorado Voters Reject Amendment 82 Protecting Natural Gas Access
Natural gas is a clean, reliable and affordable form of energy that more than 70% of Colorado homes use today. That right should be protected,
Advance Colorado advocates said during the campaign.
Colorado voters rejected Amendment 82 late Tuesday night, leaving the constitutional measure short of the 55% supermajority required to pass, The Colorado Sun reported. With 54% of tallied votes opposing the initiative just before midnight, the constitutional amendment sat at roughly 46% support. The proposed measure aimed to bar state and local governments from enacting bans or limits on the sale and use of natural gas, while explicitly seeking to overturn existing regulations targeting fossil fuel consumption.
The ballot measure arrived amid a broader statewide push by Democratic officials and environmental groups to transition Colorado’s economy toward electricity powered by wind, solar, and battery storage. Several local governments have previously explored ending natural gas hookups in new residential developments. Meanwhile, state utilities face statutory mandates to sharply reduce emissions tied to the distribution and burning of fossil fuels.
Advance Colorado, a conservative political nonprofit that does not disclose its donors, drafted the text of Amendment 82. The initiative language stated that consumers maintain a legal right to purchase natural gas for cooking and heating in homes and businesses across the state, while distributors retain the right to sell it. Conservation Colorado, a liberal nonprofit that also shields its donor disclosures, led the opposition alongside an environmental coalition. Opponents argued the measure would empower monopoly utilities to challenge environmental regulations and force families to shoulder the infrastructure costs of aging wells and pipelines.
Financial backing for the measure poured in from multiple conservative groups. Colorado Dawn and A Common Sense America spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to secure ballot placement, while Brighter Colorado raised about $6.1 million, largely funded by undisclosed conservative nonprofits. On the opposing side, the main issue committee, No Pollution in the Constitution, raised approximately $5.75 million. Major contributors to that committee included the League of Conservation Voters, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, the Green Advocacy Project, and Aspen One, which operates Aspen Snowmass.
State policy has steadily leaned toward decarbonization in recent years. Gov. Jared Polis’ administration released a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Road Map in 2021 targeting a 50% cut in statewide greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030. In 2024, the state enacted a law requiring natural gas utilities to draft Clean Heat Plans to slash emissions 22% by 2030 through reduced sales. Concurrently, Denver mandated all-electric heating and water systems for new commercial and large multi-family buildings.
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