END OF SESSION UPDATE – APRIL 2019:
We were disappointed that the “Green Amendment,” which would add the right to clean air and water to the State’s Bill of Rights, didn’t move forward this year. It did spark important discussions and we expect the legislation to be revisited next year.
A Constitutionally Protected Right to a Safe, Healthy Environment
Rights embedded in our founding documents – to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – are threatened by a damaged environment. Development without consideration of human health is a danger to every Marylander’s freedom to enjoy pure water, clean air, and healthy communities now and in the next generation.
The Healthy Green Maryland Amendment explicitly protects your right to a healthy environment now and in the future by enshrining it in the state declaration of rights.
Why a Green Amendment?
In the face of an uncertain federal landscape, Maryland needs to take steps now to defend our right to a healthy environment. We have the chance to become the third state to adopt a Green Amendment to protect our future including:
- rural and urban communities
- chemically sensitive children and seniors
- our economic future, wealth generation and home values
- coastal wetlands and old growth forests
A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IS THE STRONGEST PROTECTION A STATE PROVIDES. MARYLAND MUST ACT NOW TO PROTECT ITS FUTURE.
The bill proposes lasting protections for breathable air, drinkable water, and makes the state a fiduciary for equal access to a healthy environment for present and future generations of Marylanders. This bill supports:
- reaching the State mandated RPS
- human health, eonomic stability and clean renewable jobs
- development of a road map for judging harms & creation of solutions on climate
- values of environmental justice and climate protection into the state’s constitution