Delawareans Rally for HB220 at Legislative Hall

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, May 17th, 2022

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On Tuesday, Delawareans from across the state gathered at Legislative Hall to tell state legislators that the people of the First State support the addition of a Green Amendment to the Delaware Constitution. 

The proposed amendment (HB 220) adds environmental rights to the state Constitution, recognizing and protecting the rights to safe water, clean air, a stable climate, and a healthy environment for all people. It also specifically acknowledges and protects these rights for future generations. 

The amendment was introduced by Representative Madinah Wilson-Anton (D-26) and has received sponsorship support from 15 individuals to date. The amendment is supported in total by 5 Senate sponsors and 10 House sponsors.

At the rally, advocates and residents talked about the need for a Green Amendment and called on legislators to pass the bill. Speakers emphasized that traditional regulatory systems have not ensured we all have clean air, water, soil, and a healthy environment. HB 220, The Green Amendment to the Delaware Constitution, allows community members to be on offense instead of defense by ensuring governments consider long-term health impacts for all Delawareans.

Representative Madinah Wilson-Anton (D-26) said: “We know Delawareans across our state can’t drink the water that flows from their faucets without getting ill; Delawareans who can’t even take a shower with the water in their homes. And there are Delawareans who can’t plant fruits and vegetables in the ground because the soil is too toxic. This has gone on too long. It’s time we stand up for the rights of Delawareans and enshrine the right to clean air, clean water, and a clean environment in our state’s constitution.” 

Founder of the Green Amendment movement and the Delaware Riverkeeper, Maya K van Rossum said: “While the Delaware Constitution is amended by the state legislature, fundamentally it is a document that belongs to the people and lays out the peoples’ expectations for state government.  We have been hearing a lot lately about the importance of being clear about what rights the people want protected in our state and federal constitutions. Well, today’s rally is the people being clear that they want an enforceable constitutional right to clean water and air, a stable climate and healthy environment.”

MAJC NOW Community Leader and Owner of Dover's oldest Black-owned barbershop, Rodney Barlow said: “I was personally responsible for bringing drugs to New St. in the late 1980s and ended up incarcerated for 22 years. While in jail, I decided that I needed to help repair the community that I harmed. The state has also put people in harm’s way. The Green Amendment is how the state can right its wrongs and provide its less fortunate residents with clean air and clean water.”

MAJC NOW Community Leader and New Castle County resident, Krista Bacchieri said: “We continuously see violence against BIPOC communities in the news and wonder how we can take action. The slow, often unseen, violence enacted on us and our environment, and especially marginalized communities, would be an infringement of our rights if the Green Amendment is passed. The Green Amendment is therefore an imperative piece in the movement for human rights and equity.”

Residents calling for the Green Amendment are working with the MidAtlantic Justice Coalition, Opportunity Knocks Delaware, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Delaware Working Families Party, Green Amendments for the Generations, Sussex Health & Environmental Network, Methodist Action Program, and Unitarian Universalists of Central Delaware.