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 safe climate, and healthy environments.
What’s Happening in Oregon?
The Oregon Green Amendment movement is back on track!
The Oregon Coalition for an Environmental Rights Amendment (OCERA) is a growing coalition focused on amending the Oregon Constitution to protect everyone’s right to a healthy environment and a stable climate by adding constitutional language that meets the Green Amendment definition and therefore ensures strongest constitutional protection. Green Amendments For The Generations is a proud member and partner of OCERA.
OCERA is a nonpartisan, grassroots effort dedicated to securing meaningful and enforceable environmental rights in the Oregon Constitution. To that end, OCERA is mobilizing quickly to offer information and opportunities for everyone to engage
In previous years, Senator Jeff Golden had put forth his version of a Green Amendment. While this version of the Green Amendment didn’t progress through the process, the foundation was laid for the future success which is taking hold today.
Hot News:
On October 3, 2024, the OCERA leadership team announced that Senator Golden and Representative Gamba stated they loved language revisions provided by the OCERA legal team and steering committee and will be “happy” to champion this constitutional amendment language during the 2025 session.
OCERA’s leadership team added: We thank everyone who contributed to the process of language drafting. We especially thank Maya van Rossum, Dan Meek, and Peter Sergienko for their countless hours of pro bono legal research, analysis, and drafting support.
Here’s the language that is currently being proposed:
Oregon Constitution, Article I (Bill of Rights), Section 48. Right to a clean, safe, and healthy environment.
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All people, including children and future generations, have the fundamental right to a clean, safe, and healthy environment.
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The government shall protect and restore this right equitably for all people, giving the highest priority to the safety and health of children and future generations.
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Any person may obtain equitable relief against government action or inaction allowing harm or threat of harm to public safety and health interests in this right. Courts shall consider sustainable measures toward clean water, clean air, thriving ecosystems, and a more stable climate to be compelling state interests for paramount consideration and weight. Prevailing parties securing protection for public safety or health shall be entitled to costs of litigation, including attorney and expert witness fees.
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This right is enforceable upon enactment, without implementing legislation or exhaustion of other remedies. This right is remedial in purpose, adding to and strengthening existing rights and remedies to achieve a healthy environment for all.
Join The Movement For Your Environmental Rights in Oregon:
If you want to join the movement and show your support for an Oregon Environmental Rights Amendment that meets all the criteria for a Green Amendment, sign the petition and be sure to share it with those in your circle of life.
As the movement grows more information will be added to the resources and action pages of this website and shared with you in regular online newsletters and action opportunities.
SECTION 47. (1) The people of this state have the 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, recreational and healthful qualities of the environment. The state shall not infringe upon these rights, by action or inaction.
(2) The state, including each branch, agency and political subdivision, shall serve as trustee of all the natural resources of this state. The trust assets to be protected shall include this state’s waters, air, wildlife, fisheries, atmosphere, climate, public lands and natural ecosystems. The state shall conserve, protect and maintain these natural resources forthe benefit of all the people, including generations yet to come.
(3) The rights stated in this section are self-executing, inherent and indefeasible, are among those rights reserved to the people and are in addition to, and may not be constrained by or limited to, those rights conferred by the state’s public trust doctrine or wildlife trust doctrine.
