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Aug 21, 2014

Daily Camera: Lafayette group files motion to block oil and gas industry’s lawsuit, enforce local fracking ban

Daily Camera: Lafayette group files motion to block oil and gas industry’s lawsuit, enforce local fracking ban

With 60% of Lafayette, CO, residents adopting a Community Bill of Rights banning fracking last November, residents file a motion for a preliminary injunction against the State and the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA) to enforce their ban.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Aug 12, 2014

Daily Camera: Opinion – Home Rule — On the ‘rights’ side of history

Daily Camera: Opinion – Home Rule — On the ‘rights’ side of history

Boulder County, CO, resident urges support for advancing communities’ rights over corporate claimed “rights” through Home Rule local self-governance.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Aug 4, 2014

Longmont Daily Times Call: Boulder County home-rule charter proponents haven’t yet turned in petitions

Longmont Daily Times Call: Boulder County home-rule charter proponents haven’t yet turned in petitions

The Boulder County Community Rights Network in Colorado has gathered more than 10,000 signatures to place a home rule charter question on the ballot for May 2015. Residents are considering a home rule form of government to advance Community Rights and protect themselves from fracking.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Jul 26, 2014

Longmont Daily Times-Call: Boulder County charter proponents launch petition drive

Longmont Daily Times-Call: Boulder County charter proponents launch petition drive

The Boulder County Community Rights Network in Colorado is gathering signatures in the first steps towards creating a Community Rights Home Rule Charter for the County. Supporters want to protect the County from fracking using Community Rights to local self-governance.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Jul 25, 2014

Longmont Daily Times-Call: Boulder County home-rule charter proponents hope to gain spot on fall ballot

Longmont Daily Times-Call: Boulder County home-rule charter proponents hope to gain spot on fall ballot

The Boulder County Community Rights Network in Colorado gathers signatures to create a Home Rule Charter Commission, intending to enact a Home Rule Charter built on a Community Bill of Rights that would codify Boulder County’s right to ban fracking and other harmful activities.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Jul 10, 2014

Boulder Weekly: Petition for home rule circulates Boulder County

Boulder Weekly: Petition for home rule circulates Boulder County

Boulder County, CO, residents gather signatures to place an initiative on the November ballot. The measure is the first step in creating a Community Rights Home Rule Charter for the County that would elevate communities’ rights over corporate claimed “rights.”

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Jun 15, 2014

Daily Kos: New Civil Rights Movement

Daily Kos: New Civil Rights Movement

A diary from occupystephanie draws parallels between Community Rights and other rights’ movements, and describes CELDF’s work with municipalities across the U.S. to leverage those rights to protect ourselves and the natural environment from corporate harms.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Apr 1, 2014

Global Exchange’s People to People Blog: Mendocino County: Charting a new course for water protection?

Global Exchange’s People to People Blog: Mendocino County: Charting a new course for water protection?

Mendocino County, CA, residents work with CELDF’s partner Global Exchange in Community Rights organizing to protect their water. Communities are working on Community Bills of Rights, including a County level Ordinance.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Mar 30, 2014

The Southern Illinoisan: Both sides of fracking debate plan next move

The Southern Illinoisan: Both sides of fracking debate plan next move

Residents in Johnson County, IL, are moving forward with next steps to protect their community from fracking through a Community Bill of Rights Ordinance.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Mar 25, 2014

The Southern Illinoisan: Johnson County Board receives draft ‘bill of rights’

The Southern Illinoisan: Johnson County Board receives draft ‘bill of rights’

Johnson County, IL, residents present a Community Bill of Rights Ordinance to County Commissioners to protect the community from fracking.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Mar 19, 2014

The Southern: Johnson County fracking ban defeated

The Southern: Johnson County fracking ban defeated

With over $20,000 available to pro-fracking interests to defeat a non-binding referendum in support of a Community Bill of Rights banning fracking, Johnson County residents voted it down. Community Rights supporters promise to move forward.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Mar 19, 2014

Shadow Proof: Illinois Fracking Ban Fails After Local Newspapers Refuse To Accept Ads Supporting It

Shadow Proof: Illinois Fracking Ban Fails After Local Newspapers Refuse To Accept Ads Supporting It

A local media blackout against Community Rights in Johnson County, IL, affects ballot outcome.

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Mar 18, 2014

Southeast Missouri State University KRCU: Frack Ban Fails In Johnson County, Ill.

Southeast Missouri State University KRCU: Frack Ban Fails In Johnson County, Ill.

Community Rights opponents in Johnson County, IL, claim a hollow victory when a media blackout kept out Community Rights advocates and the state Chamber of Commerce funded $23,000 of propaganda against them.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Feb 28, 2014

The Western Front: Frontline – Support a Community Bill of Rights

The Western Front: Frontline – Support a Community Bill of Rights

Western University students in Bellingham, WA, call on their peers to launch a Community Bill of Rights initiative in Bellingham.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Feb 10, 2014

Daily Kos – Food Fight: Local Media Coverage

Daily Kos – Food Fight: Local Media Coverage

A diary from occupystephanie on Oregon Community Rights and sustainable food systems in the face of hostile state and corporate interests.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Jan 25, 2014

Huffington Post: Colorado Communities Could Ban Fracking Under New Proposed Amendment

Huffington Post: Colorado Communities Could Ban Fracking Under New Proposed Amendment

A proposed amendment to Colorado’s constitution that would give municipalities the power to ban or restrict fracking and other industrial activities would be the first of its kind nationwide if it passes.

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Jan 21, 2014

Press Release: Colorado Community Rights Network Files Constitutional Amendment To Secure the Right to Community Self-Government Free from State Preemption

Press Release: Colorado Community Rights Network Files Constitutional Amendment To Secure the Right to Community Self-Government Free from State Preemption

Denver, Colorado, January 20, 2014 – The Colorado Community Rights Network (COCRN) has submitted to the state for review and comment the language for a Community Rights Constitutional Amendment to be placed on the 2014 ballot.

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Jan 16, 2014

National Catholic Reporter: Nature’s rights gain some legal standing

National Catholic Reporter: Nature’s rights gain some legal standing

At the Global Rights of Nature Summit in Otavalo, Ecuador, CELDF representatives and other organizations gather to call for the advancement of the Rights of Nature to protect the planet.

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Oct 30, 2013

The Piscataquis Observer: Letter to the Editor – Sangerville a leader in self-governance

The Piscataquis Observer: Letter to the Editor – Sangerville a leader in self-governance

Sangerville, ME, resident stands behind their first-in-the-nation Community Bill of Rights infrastructure ordinance, adopted by residents in September.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Oct 8, 2013

Read the Dirt: When The State Pushes Back

Read the Dirt: When The State Pushes Back

Editor Simon Davis-Cohen interviews CELDF’s Pacific Northwest Community Organizer Kai Huschke about our structure of law and governance that functions to deny communities’ rights when they interfere with corporate “rights,” as seen today in both Washington State and Oregon.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Sep 16, 2013

Press Release: Oregon Communities Launch Statewide Network for Community Rights

Press Release: Oregon Communities Launch Statewide Network for Community Rights

On September 12th, community members from eight Oregon counties gathered in Corvallis, Oregon, to launch the Oregon Community Rights Network (ORCRN).

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Aug 30, 2013

The Pacific Northwest Inlander: Judgment Day

The Pacific Northwest Inlander: Judgment Day

Corporate and government interests in Spokane, WA, succeed in blocking citizens’ initiatives that would establish Community Rights.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Aug 5, 2013

Noozhawk: Fracking and the Rights of Nature

Noozhawk: Fracking and the Rights of Nature

Community Rights and the Rights of Nature are changing our western legal paradigm, and are tools to protect Santa Barbara, CA, from fracking.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Jul 3, 2013

Noozhawk: Protecting Santa Barbara County — Community Rights vs. Corporate Control

Noozhawk: Protecting Santa Barbara County — Community Rights vs. Corporate Control

Wayne Mellinger on Community Rights to protect Santa Barbara from fracking corporate interests.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Jul 2, 2013

Local Lawmaking: A Call for a Community Rights Movement

Local Lawmaking: A Call for a Community Rights Movement

While on their face these issues may appear to be different – ranging from corporate agribusiness to energy extraction – the communities on the receiving end of things all have at least one thing in common: they’ve given up hope that their state or federal government will act to protect them.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Jun 26, 2013

Piscataquis Observer: Sangerville group outlines community bill of rights to halt east-west highway

Piscataquis Observer: Sangerville group outlines community bill of rights to halt east-west highway

East Sangerville, ME, residents and selectmen partner with CELDF to use a Community Bill of Rights to stop a $2.1 billion limited access highway.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Jun 21, 2013

Press Release: Pennsylvania Community Rights Network (PCRN) Seats Founding Board of Directors

Press Release: Pennsylvania Community Rights Network (PCRN) Seats Founding Board of Directors

Declaring that the legitimate foundation of government is the right to local self-governance, the Pennsylvania Community Rights Network reviewed bylaws and officially launched the organization on Monday in Bowmanstown, Carbon County.

Read More | News from the Grassroots

May 19, 2013

Press Release: New Hampshire Community Rights Network Signs the Barnstead Declaration

Press Release: New Hampshire Community Rights Network Signs the Barnstead Declaration

The New Hampshire Community Rights Network signs the Barnstead Declaration, stating their intention to provide education for a statewide call for legislative and constitutional changes recognizing the right to local self-government and the Rights of Nature.

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Apr 29, 2013

Press Release: First County in U.S. Bans Oil and Gas Extraction

Press Release: First County in U.S. Bans Oil and Gas Extraction

Mora County, NM, adopts first-in-the-nation ban on oil and gas extraction, protecting residents and local ecosystems from fracking.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Dec 24, 2012

Read the Dirt: Barnstead, NH: Establishing the Community Right to Water and Self-Governance

Read the Dirt: Barnstead, NH: Establishing the Community Right to Water and Self-Governance

The Barnstead, NH, story – and how other New Hampshire communities have followed the blazing trail set by these bold and steadfast residents.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Nov 6, 2012

Press Release: Broadview Heights Adopts Community Bill of Rights Banning Fracking

Press Release: Broadview Heights Adopts Community Bill of Rights Banning Fracking

Today, the residents of Broadview Heights banned fracking from within the City limits through a Community Bill of Rights Charter Amendment. The amendment established the right to clean air and water, and the right to local self-government, banning fracking as a violation of those rights.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Oct 26, 2012

NPR Special Series – The Future of Nonhuman Rights: Recognizing The Right Of Plants To Evolve

NPR Special Series – The Future of Nonhuman Rights: Recognizing The Right Of Plants To Evolve

The rights of plants to exist and evolve is explored as interest grows for recognizing the rights of nature.

Read More | News from the Grassroots

Sep 8, 2012

Akron Beacon Journal: Communities seek ways to override state control of oil and gas drilling boom

Akron Beacon Journal: Communities seek ways to override state control of oil and gas drilling boom

Two activists are involved in grass-roots campaigns … pushing [for] what’s called limited home rule in Ohio townships and a community bill of rights in cities and villages, both aimed at increased protection for air, water, health, property values and public safety.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Aug 7, 2012

Press Release: Washington Communities Launch Statewide Network To Advocate for Community Rights

Press Release: Washington Communities Launch Statewide Network To Advocate for Community Rights

SPOKANE: In late July, citizens from Washington communities gathered in Spokane to launch the Washington Community Rights Network (WCRN). Network members released The Spokane Declaration, calling upon communities across the state to join together in a movement to elevate the rights of people, their communities, and nature above the claimed rights of corporations….The creation of the Washington Community Rights Network comes out of active community campaigns on both sides of the Cascades.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Jul 12, 2012

Alliance for Sustainable Communities: The Importance of Being Radical

Alliance for Sustainable Communities: The Importance of Being Radical

As an activist in Easton, there is one crucial challenge I have encountered in trying to engage residents in any cause, regardless of the issue. Whether it’s fighting fracking for natural gas, sewage sludge fertilization, landfills—the challenge is fragmentation. People—good people—are very busy, working hard to sustain themselves and their families, and they have little free time to divide among additional pursuits. When they do commit to carving out time for meetings, there tend to be so many issues facing any given community, that each community will be fragmented in their efforts….But there is good news—a possible silver bullet that can streamline our efforts to eradicate the root of the disease, rather than wasting scarce time and precious energy running around fighting symptoms wherever they crop up. That silver bullet is to declare and establish local self-governance at the municipal level according to state constitutional rights, including the right to deny corporations the ability to invade communities and run roughshod over The People.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Apr 15, 2012

CELDF Press Release: Las Vegas, New Mexico, Adopts Community Bill of Rights; Bans Corporations from Fracking for Shale Gas

CELDF Press Release: Las Vegas, New Mexico, Adopts Community Bill of Rights; Bans Corporations from Fracking for Shale Gas

In front of a standing-room only crowd of residents, by a vote of 3-1, the City Council, Las Vegas, New Mexico enacted the Las Vegas Community Water Rights and Local Self-Government Ordinance.

Read More | News from the Grassroots

Apr 3, 2012

Las Vegas Optic: Anti-fracking law adopted

Las Vegas Optic: Anti-fracking law adopted

The Las Vegas, NM, City Council adopted a Community Bill of Rights ordinance establishing rights to clean water and to local self-government, banning fracking as a violation of those rights. Residents filled council chambers in support of the measure.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots, Success Story

Mar 29, 2012

Las Vegas Optic: Support for city’s ‘rights’ ordinance

Las Vegas Optic: Support for city’s ‘rights’ ordinance

Community members in Las Vegas, NM, urge support for their Las Vegas Community Bill of Rights and Local Self-Government Ordinance, which bans fracking.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Mar 23, 2012

Philadelphia Inquirer: Op/Ed by CELDF’s Ben Price – Fracking spurs a municipal mutiny in Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Inquirer: Op/Ed by CELDF’s Ben Price – Fracking spurs a municipal mutiny in Pennsylvania

Not content to leave Pennsylvania communities with any control over gas drilling within their borders, state legislators have stripped municipalities of their zoning authority under Act 13, choosing energy corporations over the people who elected them….It’s time we…stopped expecting any other outcome from Harrisburg. It’s time for a grassroots revolt aimed at enshrining the right to community self-government in the Pennsylvania Constitution, protecting local authority from the state. The work begins in our communities, with the adoption of local laws and home-rule charters directly challenging the legal doctrines that subordinate communities to the legislature, as well as the privileges that protect corporations from democracy. More than 100 municipalities across Pennsylvania have begun this journey, elevating the rights of people and communities above the rights of corporations and commerce. These municipalities recognize the need for community rights independent of the legislature and are coming together to form the Pennsylvania Community Rights Network.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Jan 25, 2012

Santa Monica Patch: Council Moves Toward Making ‘Green’ Goals Mandatory

Santa Monica Patch: Council Moves Toward Making ‘Green’ Goals Mandatory

Santa Monica City Council members unanimously passed a resolution backing a bill of rights for the environment, which would give legal standing to city officials to protect the environment within Santa Monica’s borders if passed as a law in the future.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Nov 9, 2011

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Who knows best: On drilling, Republicans sell out on local control

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Who knows best: On drilling, Republicans sell out on local control

Republicans often say they are advocates of local control, repeating bromides such as “the people know better than the politicians or bureaucrats.” But not when it comes to Marcellus Shale drilling in Pennsylvania. On this subject, the politicians and bureaucrats are poised to tell the people that they know best — and never mind the local concerns of residents of municipalities across the state who will have to live with the results. Harrisburg knows best.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Oct 11, 2011

Turning Occupation into Lasting Change

Turning Occupation into Lasting Change

If the Occupy movement is to succeed over time, it must follow the lead of community rights building efforts that have begun work to dismantle the body of law that perpetually subordinates people, communities, and nature to wealthy corporate minorities.

Read More | News from the Grassroots

Apr 22, 2011

Wired: Giving Nature Its Own Rights Might Avert Future Oil Disasters

Wired: Giving Nature Its Own Rights Might Avert Future Oil Disasters

Considering the rights of ecosystems dates to 1972 with Christopher Stone, and has evolved today to local laws establishing Rights of Nature as a means to protect against destructive activities.

Read More | News from the Grassroots

Feb 28, 2010

State Bar to Propose Reforms

State Bar to Propose Reforms

The Pennsylvania Bar Association joined the fray last week by announcing the formation of a review commission to offer recommendations on what sort of constitutional changes should be taken up.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Feb 28, 2010

Constitutional changes not imminent prospect

Constitutional changes not imminent prospect

The Pennsylvania Bar Association joined the fray last week by announcing the formation of a review commission to offer recommendations on what sort of constitutional changes should be taken up.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Feb 20, 2010

Press Release: Laying the Groundwork for a People’s Constitutional Convention Pennsylvania Community Rights Network Launched

Press Release: Laying the Groundwork for a People’s Constitutional Convention Pennsylvania Community Rights Network Launched

To organize a people’s convention of delegates, representing municipal communities, who will propose constitutional changes to secure the inalienable right to local, community self-government free of state and corporate preemption.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Sep 28, 2008

The New York Times: Ecuador Constitution Grants Rights to Nature

The New York Times: Ecuador Constitution Grants Rights to Nature

Ecuador makes history with the people’s adoption of a new Constitution recognizing the Rights of Nature to exist and flourish.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots