Energy is on the ballot as voters in Colorado and across the country turn their attention to upcoming elections.

Whether we think much about energy — or not much at all — our daily lives hinge on the availability of reliable, affordable energy to keep the lights on at home and work, for transportation, and for innumerable products and conveniences that constitute our modern standard of living.

Energy also is key to American freedom and safety, because neither is possible without secure short- and long-term energy.

This year, energy will be on the ballot when Colorado voters consider which candidates, nationally and closer to home, will support American-made oil and natural gas, our country’s energy mainstays.

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Like millions of other Americans, Coloradans appreciate these important points. Take gasoline prices. Affordable prices at the pump — at the start of July, fuel cost 5 cents less per gallon than it did this time a year ago — have helped during the ongoing summer driving season.

Yet, unwise policy choices in Washington can negate such help and hurt Colorado families and businesses and Americans everywhere. These include restrictions on access to domestic natural gas and oil resources, as well as an Environmental Protection Agency tailpipe emissions regulation that effectively puts bureaucrats in charge of vehicle selection. The regulation mandates that nearly a third of new passenger vehicles sold must be electric or plug-in hybrids by model year 2027, rising to more than two-thirds by model year 2032. These policies could lead to less reliable and more expensive energy sources and transportation modes.

Sadly, they aren’t the only policy misfires. The U.S. Energy Department’s freeze on new and pending liquefied natural gas projects, the EPA’s new refinery rules, and restrictions on power plants are at the forefront of a regulatory policy offensive against the U.S. oil and natural gas industry. Further, recent regulations have put bipartisan permitting reform far out of reach, hindering needed infrastructure projects of all kinds, not just those supporting oil and natural gas. These actions could have long-lasting consequences in Colorado, making transportation, heating and infrastructure construction more costly.

Infrastructure is especially critical for the nation’s fourth-largest oil-producing state and a top-10 natural gas producer. The recent agreement between state elected officials, environmental groups and oil and natural gas companies to pause any new ballot initiatives or legislative proposals affecting drilling and production until after 2027 — a compromise Gov. Jared Polis referred to as “the Colorado way” — shows what can be done when parties work together for the common good.

Unfortunately, Washington, D.C. has unwisely spent nearly four years sending mixed signals on oil and natural gas production, pipelines and other infrastructure that complicated our nation’s production of reliable, affordable energy.

Polling indicates Americans want a different approach. API has advanced a plan that strengthens American energy leadership and offers help to Americans as they cope with inflation.

As the autumn elections draw nearer, Coloradans should remember their state is at a crossroads in America’s energy policy. The systematic push by federal agencies against U.S. natural gas and oil development risks our economy, threatens millions of jobs, reduces supplies to critical allies amid global conflict and could cause accelerating energy inflation. Our own state’s natural gas and oil companies support more than 300,000 jobs, provide more than $34 billion in wages and contribute more than $48 billion in economic impact. Colorado energy resources should be seen as a strategic asset, not a political football.

America is in a serious race for the future. Done right, it’s a future that would involve Colorado companies meeting growing energy demand and keeping the lights on for decades to come. Leveraging Colorado’s natural gas and oil is the best way to strengthen America’s energy advantage.

Kait Schwartz is director of the American Petroleum Institute Colorado.