What is the Connecticut Environmental Rights Amendment?

You are not guaranteed this right just yet, but with the passage of the CTERA, you will be!

While our state and federal constitutions protect some rights, they do not protect our rights to clean and healthy air, water, and soil; a stable climate; and healthy environments. Environmental rights are not constitutionally recognized, so government decisionmakers are too often free to disregard them in favor of other political or economic priorities.

The result is a system of environmental laws that accept environmental pollution and degradation as something to be accepted and managed rather than prevented. All communities suffer when there is pollution, environmental degradation, and an unstable climate. It is a proven fact that communities of color, Indigenous communities, and low income communities carry a disproportionate burden of harm.

The CT Environmental Rights Amendment / Green Amendment would require environmental rights to be protected equitably for all communities. The Amendment will ensure all government officials in our state prioritize environmental protection from the start of all planning, decision-making, legislating, regulating and permitting. It will require our government officials to avoid / prevent environmental harm, not simply manage it after-the-fact.

We need a Green Amendment added to our Connecticut state constitution — and ultimately to the US Constitution. The Connecticut Green Amendment has been introduced into the state legislature as the CT Environmental Rights Amendment in 2023, and will be re-introduced again.

Green Amendments in Pennsylvania and Montana have been used to check inappropriate government action that would have had devastating environmental consequences for communities, environment, local businesses and environmentally protective economic development. In 2021, the New York Green Amendment passed with the support of over 70% of state voters after also securing bi-partisan support in the state legislature! For more information, on Green Amendments, check our Resources Page.