The Green Amendment for New Mexico
Why Have a Green Amendment
Green Amendments emphasize environmental justice for impacted communities. It has been adopted in Pennsylvania, which had a huge coal mining industry, and whose lower income urban areas were heavily impacted by industries. A Green Amendment has also been adopted in Montana.
One of the biggest benefits from introducing a green amendment in New Mexico, would be to highlight the environmental impacts from oil and gas production and to enforce laws protecting local neighborhoods from their emissions. In particular, fracking is claimed to create unlivable conditions for those within breathing distance of wells. A constitutional green amendment may redouble efforts to strengthen and enforce the existing restrictions on fracking.
What is a Green Amendment?
Green Amendments are self executing provisions added to the bill of rights section of a state's constitution that recognize and protect the rights of all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or income, including future generations, to pure water, clean air, a stable climate, and healthy environments. Two leading organizations for Green Amendments provide more information:
