Life, liberty — and a clean environment?
A national coalition of environmental activists is trying to amend state constitutions to establish a guaranteed right to a safe climate or a clean environment — analogous to the right to freedom of religion or freedom of speech.
They argue that such language, which the constitutions of Pennsylvania, New York and Montana already sport, would give the environment a solid legal grounding against industrial interests amid the climate fight — and enable states to maintain meaningful protections even in the face of deregulation by a future conservative federal government.
This week, legislators in New Jersey , New Mexico and Hawaii will hold committee hearings on so-called green amendments — with states such as California and Connecticut waiting in the wings.
Bills have also been introduced to propose such amendments in Republican-led states including Iowa , West Virginia , Florida , Tennessee and Texas .
In New Jersey, campaigner David Pringle argued that an amendment to the state constitution would create a level of baseline protection higher than what federal law allows.