Environmental Bill of Rights

SB 1596

·  Every American has the right to a safe and healthy environment. We urge all elected officials -- local, state and federal -- to protect that right.

·  We oppose any measures that would roll back the environmental progress of the last 25 years.

·  We commit ourselves to support the following simple principles, and will hold public officials who represent us accountable for their stewardship of the planet.


I. PREVENT POLLUTION. Every person is entitled to air, water, food and communities free from toxic chemicals. Government policies and regulatory standards must prevent pollution before it happens, expand citizens' right to know about toxics, and guarantee protection for citizens, particularly the most vulnerable among us -- infants, children, pregnant women and the elderly.

II. PRESERVE AMERICA'S NATIONAL HERITAGE, wild and beautiful, for our children and future generations. Wildlife, forests, mountains and prairies, wetlands, rivers, lakes, historic sites, urban parks and open space, oceans and coastlines are all part of our national heritage.

III. END THE GIVE-AWAYS OF OUR PUBLIC ASSETS, such as mineral, timber, grazing and fishery resources. End the subsidies for oil and energy companies. Polluters should pay to clean up the mess they create. No one has the right to use property in a way that destroys or degrades the surrounding community. We reject the idea that good neighbors must pay bad ones not to pollute.

IV. CONSERVE AMERICA'S NATURAL RESOURCES BY CONTROLLING WASTE, increasing energy efficiency and protecting against overuse and abuse. Encourage sustainable technologies that meet human needs without destroying the environment.

V. GET THE BIG MONEY OUT OF POLITICS. No more government for sale. Let's take our government back from the big campaign contributors and exploiters who control it today.