Aspen One Warns Amendment 82 Threatens Snowmass Winter Economy

Aspen —If you like snow, vote “no” on 82. That is the blunt, unvarnished message from Aspen One, the collective of businesses and residents who understand that their livelihoods are inextricably linked to the stability of the winter season. The group argues that the current political landscape is shifting away from the predictable winters that have sustained the region for decades, and they believe Amendment 82 is the mechanism that will cement that shift.

The argument rests heavily on the data from the 2025-26 ski season, a period that serves as a cautionary tale for the entire state. According to the figures cited by Aspen One, Colorado resorts recorded approximately 10.5 million visits during that timeframe. To put that number in perspective, it represents a stark decline from the 13.9 million visits recorded in the previous season. That is a drop of 24%, a percentage that signals not just a bad year, but a structural change in visitor behavior. More significantly, the group notes that 10.5 million is the lowest number of people on the state’s slopes since the 1991-92 season. For a region that has built its identity around the reliability of the alpine environment, a three-decade low is not just a statistic; it is a warning.

When the snow fails to arrive, the economic ripple effects extend far beyond the base lodge. The losses penetrate the paychecks of restaurant workers, the inventory shelves of small business owners, and the tax bases of municipalities across the Western Slope. Aspen One points out that in the Roaring Fork Valley, buildings account for more than half of regional carbon emissions. This reality has driven the group to invest in all-electric infrastructure, including the Ullrhof dining facility at Snowmass and the Limelight Boulder hotel, the largest all-electric hotel in the nation. These projects are designed to reduce carbon impact as the grid moves toward cleaner energy sources. However, the group acknowledges that individual operational changes, while necessary, are insufficient to solve the systemic nature of climate change. This is where the political argument enters the frame.

Aspen One contends that Amendment 82 moves Colorado in the opposite direction of the progress needed to address these systemic issues. If passed, the amendment would add two sentences to the Colorado Constitution. These additions would create a constitutional right for consumers to buy natural gas for cooking and heating, and a corresponding right for distributors and utilities to sell it. The group emphasizes that buying and selling natural gas is already legal in Colorado. Therefore, a “no” vote on Amendment 82 would not strip anyone of their existing stove or furnace. Instead, the opposition argues that the constitution should serve to protect people rather than to enshrine the profitability of a specific industry.

The most profound concern raised by Aspen One relates to the long-term implications of embedding energy decisions within the highest law of the land. The state’s nonpartisan Blue Book notes that the measure may limit the ability of state or local governments to enforce existing or future regulations related to natural gas. Because this right would reside in the constitution, altering it later would require another constitutional amendment. Historically, such amendments are rare and difficult to achieve. Once a provision is written into the constitution, it becomes exceptionally difficult to remove. For mountain communities that rely on local governments to set building codes and energy policies tailored to their specific climate goals and economic realities, this lack of flexibility is a significant threat. A broad constitutional right for monopoly utilities to sell gas invites legal challenges to local regulatory efforts, potentially stalling the very measures needed to adapt to a changing climate. The group urges voters to recognize that the measure is not merely about fuel choice, but about who holds the power to shape the energy future of Colorado’s diverse communities.