In Colorado, signatures were submitted to the secretary of state on June 24, 2026, for a ballot initiative related to the right to purchase and sell natural gas to homes and businesses.
More specifically, the measure — referred to as Initiative 177 — would add a new section to Article XVIII of the Colorado Constitution to establish the right for consumers to purchase natural gas for cooking or heating in homes or businesses, as well as for distributors and utilities to sell natural gas.
The Colorado secretary of state's office has until Aug. 21, 2026, to review the signatures to determine if the petition contains at least 124,238 valid signatures, thereby meeting the minimum requirement to be placed on the ballot for Nov. 3, 2026.
Initiative 177 was filed on Dec. 5, 2025, as an initiated constitutional amendment, and is supported by Advance Colorado, an organization that describes its mission as "[pushing] back on the progressive policies that have put our state on the wrong track."
Speaking in support of the initiative, Michael Fields, the president of Advance Colorado, said, "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."
Speaking in opposition to the initiative, state House Speaker Julie McCluskie (D-13) said, "[Initiative 177 is] overly broad, lacks clarity and could upend years of work to craft durable policy that advances our goals of better air quality, more affordable transit and cleaner energy."
The last time voters decided on a statewide ballot measure related to natural gas policy was in 2024. On Nov. 5, 2024, voters in Washington considered Initiative 2066, which prohibited state and local governments from restricting access to natural gas; prohibited the state building code council from prohibiting, discouraging, or penalizing the use of natural gas; and required gas and utility companies to provide natural gas to any person or corporation, even if other energy services may be available. Initiative 2066 was approved by voters, receiving 51.71% of the vote.
In previous years, Advance Colorado filed and gathered signatures for measures in policy areas such as taxes, law enforcement, and education. In 2024, the organization filed and gathered signatures for three ballot measures related to a right to school choice, parole eligibility for persons convicted of certain violent crimes, and funding for law enforcement training and benefits for the families of deceased first responders, with two of these measures being approved and one being rejected by voters.
For the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot, Advance Colorado filed and gathered signatures for two additional measures: Initiative 85 and Initiative 95. Both initiatives were certified for the ballot.
Initiative 85 would increase the penalties for the manufacturing, sale, and possession of fentanyl, as well as require court-mandated treatment for certain types of felonies for possessing fentanyl, and remove drug possession exemptions in determining whether an individual is considered a habitual criminal. Initiative 95 would require state and local law enforcement to notify the U.S. Department of Homeland Security within 72 hours after charging an individual when they are not lawfully present in the United States or their immigration status cannot be determined after a reasonable effort by officers, and the individual is charged with a violent crime or has a prior felony conviction on their record.
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