Colorado environmental groups say the fees that would be put to a public vote under Proposition 117 would hurt causes for conservation, public lands and pollution control.

The measure would require a statewide vote for fees that bring in more than $100 million in the first five years, as new taxes and borrowing are now under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which, as a result, rarely pass.

The Legislature usually then turns to fees, which can be passed in the statehouse.

“Opponents of Prop 117 aren’t even hiding their game plan anymore,” said Michael Fields, executive director of Colorado Rising Action, one of the conservative groups behind the ballot question.

“They are just coming right out and saying that they want to use more and more ‘fees’ to get around our Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. Whether something is labeled a ‘tax’ or a ‘fee,’ it still comes out of our pockets. This initiative is simple: if you want to create a new big fee, you just have to get voter approval.”

Conservation Colorado, Colorado Sierra Club and Boulder-based Western Resource Advocates issued a joint statement Monday afternoon alleging rich business special interests were behind it.

“By voting ‘no,’ Coloradans will make sure polluters can still be held accountable to pay for their own emissions, violations, and chemical waste or oil spills,” Kelly Nordini, executive director of Conservation Colorado, said in a statement.

“We can’t put shareholder profits ahead of the health of our families and environment.”

Jon Biggerstaff of the Colorado Sierra Club said Proposition 117 comes at a time when the state is weathering a pandemic, economic crisis, wildfires and drought.

“We need to be able to tackle these challenges, not be held back by a poorly worded ballot measure,” he stated. “Enterprises are critical to addressing these challenges . Voters need to reject 117.”