Republican Sen. Bill Cadman of Colorado Springs was joined by Democrat legislators and the spokesman for a well-known civil rights group to announce his plans to introduce legislation to give poor consumers a voice in the debate over oil and gas regulation.

Cadman and Rep. Wes McKinley, D-Walsh, unveiled their resolution urging the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to consider the impact that a new layer of regulation on the energy industry has on low-income families.  The commission is currently drafting new rules to expand environmental oversight to a degree that industry observers say could restrict energy exploration.

"You really have to ask who gets hurt the most when the energy industry is over-regulated in the name of environmentalism," Cadman said. "Working-poor families simply cannot afford all the lofty ideas being proposed by environmental elitists--we have to ensure energy stays afforadable for these families."