DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Colorado homeowners and businesses are calling on the General Assembly to protect their right to propane and natural gas as part of a new initiative “Protect My Gas.” The goal of the coalition is to protect consumers’ right to choose their energy source, and a bill currently moving through the Colorado House of Representatives has this coalition’s full support.
“Propane and natural gas are clean, affordable sources of energy,” said Dan Binning, Executive Director of the Colorado Propane Gas Association and a member of the Protect My Gas coalition. “Yet, there’s a movement underway to ban gas from homes and businesses. This effort would have severe consequences on the residents and businesses of our state: higher utility bills, new appliances and the threat of rolling blackouts. Colorado families have already suffered enough this year.”
Protect My Gas is not an effort to protect the choice of just a few. In fact, nearly three-quarters of Colorado households use natural gas or propane to heat their homes, cook their dinners and provide hot water, safe lighting and many other critical energy needs.
During these challenging economic times, gas has remained affordable for Colorado residents and businesses. Propane and natural gas are low-cost energy sources for cooking, heating water, driving garbage and freight trucks, transporting cargo or manufacturing products. Homeowners who use gas save an average of $874 per year on their utility bills.
Representative Dan Woog, a member of the Colorado General Assembly, filed a proposal this session that will protect Colorado residents’ access to energy. HB21-1034 protects consumers’ right to use natural gas or propane. The measure, if passed, effectively invalidates any statute, rule, local ordinance or resolution that limits or prohibits the use of natural gas or propane for cooking, hot water, space heating or electrical generation.
“If the state or local governments across Colorado were to ban gas as an energy source, homeowners would be stuck with the bill,” said Rep. Woog of Weld County. “Not only would they have higher monthly fees, but Colorado residents would have to purchase new appliances and invest in infrastructure updates just to comply with the new laws.”
“Colorado businesses have struggled to make ends meet through the COVID-19 pandemic,” Woog continued. “It would be foolish, if not cruel, to impose new government regulations on our state, especially when they come with severe consequences and higher bills.”
Rep. Woog’s bill will be heard by the House Energy & Environment Committee on Wednesday, March 3.
The Protect My Gas coalition invites residents and businesses to make their voices heard. Sign the petition and learn more at https://www.protectmygascolorado.org/.
Gas is a clean, reliable and affordable source of energy for Colorado families and businesses. The direct use of natural gas and propane achieves 91% energy efficiency. Through its distribution value chain, gas delivers three times more useful energy to end-use consumers compared to energy delivered through the electric grid.
Gas is also an important part of Colorado’s economy, generating more than $31 billion in economic impact. The industry also provides high-paying jobs for Colorado workers, supporting more than 239,000 jobs and paying more than $23 billion in wages each year.
For more information about Protect My Gas, visit https://www.protectmygascolorado.org/.
