Amendment 82 – Colorado “Right to Natural Gas”

Nominated by Conservation Colorado for the 2026 Dirty Dozen in the States

This fall, Colorado voters will decide whether to make a permanent, radical change to the state constitution with disastrous and far-ranging consequences. The proposed “constitutional right to natural gas” threatens to overturn the bedrock health and safety protections on which residents and workers rely. If this ballot measure passes, corporate polluters will be able to sue state and local governments over rules meant to hold them accountable, such as regulation of toxic water pollution and safe distances between gas operations and homes and schools. Colorado is a national leader on climate policy; this change would rapidly reverse hard-fought climate wins and prohibit future progress.

Amendment 82 is backed by a conservative interest group that has repeatedly violated campaign finance law by failing to disclose who funds them or how they spend their money. And they won’t stop at Colorado: if their campaign is successful, other states will follow. Defeating this ballot measure is imperative to protect our communities, preserve our momentum, and send a clear message that Colorado voters want accountability – not a constitutional guarantee for corporate polluter profits.