The Maryland Environmental Human Rights Amendment is quickly gaining popularity Environmental rights amendments are increasing in popularity all over the world. Almost 100 countries have already added environmental human rights to their constitutions and the UN Human Rights Council
has recently recognized environmental health as a fundamental human right.
Some states, such as Pennsylvania and Montana, have had this protection since the 1970s. States that already have an amendment to protect environmental rights include: Pennsylvania, Montana, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Illinois, and New York. Twelve states, including Maryland, arenow working to include environmental human rights in their state constitutions.
This bill has wide support in Maryland. In recent polling, it was determined that 76% of Maryland voters would vote to pass the amendment if given the opportunity. Voters will have that opportunity if the bill is passed by a 3/5 majority in both the Maryland House and Senate.
This is what the bill says:
Every person has the fundamental and inalienable right to a healthful and sustainable environment.
The right enumerated under subsection (A) of this section may not be infringed.
The State shall:
Serve as the trustee of the State’s natural resources, including the air, land, water, wildlife, and ecosystems of the state; and Conserve, protect, and enhance the State’s natural resources for the benefit of every person, including present and future generations.
Many prominent and well-respected individuals support this amendment. For example, just last week, the Office of Attorney General Brian Frosh wrote to Delegate Kumar Barve, Chair of the Environment and Transportation Committee requesting a favorable vote on the bill. At least seven mayors have endorsed the bill, including Mayor Jake Day of Salisbury and Mayor Jud Ashman, Mayor of Gaithersburg. Other endorsements include religious leaders from a wide variety of faiths: Episcopalian, Methodist, Quaker, Catholic, Judaism and Islamic.
Civic organizations such as the NAACP, Maryland State Conference and the Maryland League of Women Voters have worked to get this bill passed into law as have medical organizations such as the Maryland Public Health Association and Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Of course, many environmental groups have worked hard on this bill; for instance, the Sierra Club,Maryland Chapter; Wicomico Environmental Trust (WET), ShoreRivers, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Assateague Coastal Trust and more To find the full lists of supporters, go to www.mdehr.org and look under “Amendment” and then “Amendment Support.” This website contains many articles about how the amendment would work in our state and how it has worked in other states. There are also numerous webinars on this site, including a whole series about how the amendment would improve environmental justice.
It is important for all Marylanders to contact their representatives in the Maryland General Assembly and to vote for this important amendment (HB596/SB783).
Susan Olsen
Dorchester County
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