2026 Voter Guide: This article is part of Johnstown Republic’s guide to the Nov. 3 ballot.
Colorado voters will decide Amendment 82, a proposed constitutional amendment that would create a right for consumers to purchase natural gas for cooking and heating and for utilities and distributors to sell natural gas for use in homes and businesses.
The citizen-initiated amendment would require at least 55% of the vote to pass, according to the official 2026 Colorado Blue Book.
What would Amendment 82 do?
Amendment 82 would place a new right to purchase and sell natural gas in the Colorado Constitution.
Under current law, the state regulates investor-owned natural gas utilities through the Public Utilities Commission, while local governments may regulate natural gas service, pipelines, appliances and building codes. Some Colorado municipalities have adopted restrictions on natural gas use in new construction or certain renovation projects, according to the state’s ballot analysis.
If approved, the amendment could limit the ability of state or local governments to enforce existing or future regulations that conflict with the new constitutional right.
What does a YES vote mean?
A YES vote would establish a constitutional right for consumers to purchase natural gas for cooking or heating and for utilities and distributors to sell natural gas for use in homes and businesses.
What does a NO vote mean?
A NO vote would leave current laws and regulations governing the purchase, sale and use of natural gas unchanged.
State agencies and local governments would continue to regulate natural gas under existing authority.
What would it cost?
The measure is not expected to increase or decrease state revenue or produce a specific statewide spending increase.
However, Legislative Council Staff says state agencies could face additional workload and legal costs when reviewing building-code guidance or implementing greenhouse-gas regulations that may conflict with the constitutional right.
Local governments with building codes that prohibit or restrict natural gas could also face costs to revise those codes and adjust permitting, inspection and compliance procedures.
Arguments for and against
Supporters argue natural gas is an affordable, reliable and widely used energy source, particularly for heating during cold weather. They contend that placing access to natural gas in the state constitution would prevent state or local governments from restricting consumers’ ability to choose it.
Opponents argue that burning natural gas contributes to greenhouse-gas emissions and air pollution and that protecting its use in the constitution could limit future efforts to reduce emissions or transition to other energy sources. They also argue that local governments should retain authority to set building and energy policies based on local priorities.
Those arguments are summarized from the official Colorado Blue Book analysis.
What does this mean for Johnstown?
Amendment 82 would apply statewide, including in Johnstown.
The measure contains no provisions specific to Johnstown. Its most direct local effect would be to limit the ability of state or local governments to adopt or enforce regulations that interfere with the constitutional right to purchase or sell natural gas.
Official information
The full analysis, fiscal-impact statement and text of Amendment 82 are available on the Colorado General Assembly’s official Amendment 82 page.