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."

Cadman was joined by the Colorado Consumers for Affordable Energy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping consumers speak out against public policies that restrict supply and raise the cost of energy in Colorado.  They say the new rules being drafted by the commission threaten to force Colorado citizens to adopt a lower standard of living because the environmental agenda of the governor and other key Democrat legislators restricts the supply of energy in our state.

Cadman echoed their mission statement and said he hopes his resolution will help the coalition achieve its goals.

Also on hand to denouce over-regulation of the energy industry in Colorado was Niger Innis, the national spokesman for the Congress for Racial Equality.  Innis called energy regulation "a defacto regressive tax" on poor minorities.

"When the energy industry gets a cold, my constituents (poor minorities) get the flu," Innis said.