Dear John,
Our right to breathe clean air and drink clean water should be as fundamental as our right to vote. But while the word “property” is mentioned twenty-three times in Maine’s Constitution, there is no mention of the protection of our water, air, or environment.
LD 489, the Pine Tree Amendment, puts our environmental rights where they should be – in Maine’s Constitution. Similar amendments are already reflected in the constitutions of Pennsylvania and Montana and eleven states are actively considering comparable action.
Tell your lawmakers: Support the Pine Tree Amendment. Click here to send your message now.
The Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee recently passed the Pine Tree Amendment out of committee by a vote of 9-4. If the state legislature passes the bill by a two-thirds vote, then voters would decide on November’s ballot whether the following language would be added to Maine’s constitution:
| Section 25. Environmental rights. The people of the State have the right to a clean and healthy environment and to the preservation of the natural, cultural and healthful qualities of the environment. The State may not infringe upon these rights. The State shall conserve, protect and maintain the State’s natural resources, including, but not limited to, its air, water, land and ecosystems for the benefit of all the people, including generations yet to come. |
Click here to send a message to your lawmakers to urge them to support the Pine Tree Amendment now.
Our state is defined by our extraordinary environment; it is who we are and what we value, as individuals and as a state. Protecting the health of our waters, air, land, and wildlife is essential to our future well-being and prosperity.
The Pine Tree Amendment further instills trust in our government to protect Maine's natural resources for generations to come. As we confront environmental challenges from PFAS pollution to climate change, let’s make sure Maine is in a position to lead.
Thank you in advance for taking action.
Yours in conservation,
Maureen Drouin, MCV Executive Director
