What is a Green Amendment?
Green Amendments are self executing provisions added to the bill of rights section of a constitution that recognize and protect the rights of all people, including future generations, to pure water, clean air, a stable climate, and healthy environments.
What’s Happening in Arizona?
Arizona is fortunate to have a proactive champion looking to advance a Green Amendment.
It was on January 27, 2022, when AZ Senator Juan Mendez first proposed a constitutional Green Amendment be added to the state constitution. Joining Senator Mendez in support have been state Senators Quezada Marton and Raquel Teran, and state Representatives Richard Andrade, Andrea Dalessandro, Melody Hernandez, Sarah Liguori, Athena Salman, and Christian Solorio.
Every year since the Arizona Green Amendment has been re-proposed. And while the amendment has never progressed far in the constitutional amendment process, the fact that it remains alive with constant re-proposal demonstrates there is energy for constitutional environmental rights in the state. It’s just about finding the right moment to advance it.
While the amendment has been progressing slowly, it got some amazing press attention, demonstrating there is interest in constitutional environmental rights protection for the people of Arizona. If you are interested in being a part of the effort, or have any questions, please get in touch with us.
As proposed the Arizona Green Amendment reads:
Article II, Constitution of Arizona, is proposed to be amended by adding section 38:
Right to clean and healthy environment
- Each person, including a person in a future generation, has a right to a clean and healthy environment, including pure water, clean air, healthy ecosystems and a stable climate, and to the preservation of the natural, cultural, scenic and healthful qualities of the environment.
- This state’s public natural resources, including its waters, air, flora, fauna and climate, are the common property of all the people, including present and future generations. This state and its political subdivisions shall do all of the following:
- Serve as trustees of these resources.
- Conserve, protect and maintain these resources for the benefit of all the people.
- The rights prescribed in this section are inherent, inalienable and indefeasible and are among those rights reserved to all the people. The State may not infringe upon thse rights. This section and the prescribed in this section are self-executing.
