Should Oregon add an environmental rights amendment to its Constitution?

Beat Check with The Oregonian

A new state-wide coalition wants to add an environmental rights amendment to the Oregon Constitution. It would enshrine the right to a healthy environment in the Bill of Rights.

Proponents say making the right to a healthy environment a fundamental right is key in the era of human-made climate change. Right now, such a right is not explicitly spelled out in Oregon and only a few states – Montana, Pennsylvania and New York – do include it in their Constitutions.

Nationwide, advocates are pushing to pass similar so-called ‘green amendments’ in all 50 states, with several states working actively on the effort. In Oregon, the amendment could be added through a legislative referral or a ballot initiative.

Linda Perrine, an organizer with the Oregon Coalition for an Environmental Rights Amendment, talked on Beat Check about what a green amendment means, why it’s needed in Oregon and whether it will harm the state’s economic development.

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