Press Releases

Aug 13, 2019

Media Statement: Lake Erie Bill of Rights Court Case Heats Up as Algae Bloom Grows

Media Statement: Lake Erie Bill of Rights Court Case Heats Up as Algae Bloom Grows

The City of Toledo takes a stand in court to defend the Lake Erie Bill of Rights.

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Jul 22, 2019

Press Release: Ballot Access Stymied in Ohio and Washington

Press Release: Ballot Access Stymied in Ohio and Washington

The corporate state attempts to strip democratic rights in Ohio and Washington state. CELDF supports communities as together they fight back.

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Jul 22, 2019

Lake Erie Advocates’ Media Statement: Ohio Legislature Attacks Rights of Nature, Protects Polluters in Budget Bill

Lake Erie Advocates’ Media Statement: Ohio Legislature Attacks Rights of Nature, Protects Polluters in Budget Bill

Community groups release joint statement revealing not only the Ohio legislature’s efforts to stop Rights of Nature, but also expanding protections of industrial agricultural operations.

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Jul 18, 2019

Media Release: Ohio Legislature Bans Rights of Nature Enforcement

Media Release: Ohio Legislature Bans Rights of Nature Enforcement

While Rights of Nature grows in Ohio, the state legislature tries to ban its enforcement. Undeterred, Ohio communities continue advancing laws to protect ecosystems based on rights.

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Jul 11, 2019

Media Release: Rights of Michindoh Aquifer Encounter First Hurdle

Media Release: Rights of Michindoh Aquifer Encounter First Hurdle

While efforts mount to stop Rights of Nature in Ohio, community groups press on, insisting on their right to protect the ecosystems upon which they depend.

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Jul 1, 2019

Press Release: Major Developments for Lake Erie Bill of Rights

Press Release: Major Developments for Lake Erie Bill of Rights

Rights of Nature is hot in Ohio, where Toledoans take action to protect the Lake Erie Bill of Rights, another community advances an initiative to recognize the rights of a water ecosystem, legal cases continue, and more.

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Jun 27, 2019

Toledo Residents’ Media Release: Citizens Recognize the Lake Erie Bill of Rights as the Will of the People

Toledo Residents’ Media Release: Citizens Recognize the Lake Erie Bill of Rights as the Will of the People

As the state of Ohio attempts to undermine the will of Toledo community members, residents file a pro se complaint to uphold the Lake Erie Bill of Rights.

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Jun 27, 2019

Media Release:  Anti-Rights of Nature Language Snuck into Ohio State Budget Bill

Media Release: Anti-Rights of Nature Language Snuck into Ohio State Budget Bill

State of Ohio inserts anti-Rights of Nature language in the budget bill. In an era of climate crisis and growing efforts to advance ecosystem rights, Ohio government is on the wrong side of history.

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Jun 26, 2019

Media Statement: Ohio Group Submits Signatures to Recognize Rights for Michindoh Aquifer

Media Statement: Ohio Group Submits Signatures to Recognize Rights for Michindoh Aquifer

Community Rights and Rights of Nature continue to grow in Ohio as Williams County residents submit their citizen initiative to protect themselves from corporate water withdrawals.

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Jun 6, 2019

Media Release: Tacoma, WA, Group Files First Amendment SCOTUS Petition to Protect Local Ballot Access

Media Release: Tacoma, WA, Group Files First Amendment SCOTUS Petition to Protect Local Ballot Access

With CELDF-supported attorneys, Tacoma, WA, residents filed a 1st Amendment petition with the Supreme Court challenging continued denial of ballot access for qualified citizen initiatives.

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May 28, 2019

Press Release: Multi-Prong Attack by State of Ohio Against Rights of Nature

Press Release: Multi-Prong Attack by State of Ohio Against Rights of Nature

Ohio Attorney General files complaint to overturn Lake Erie Bill of Rights on behalf of industry, arguing there is a right to pollute.

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May 9, 2019

Media Statement: The First State in U.S. History Has Mentioned Legal Rights of Nature

Media Statement: The First State in U.S. History Has Mentioned Legal Rights of Nature

Today, the Ohio House adopts provisions to block communities and local governments from enforcing recognized legal rights for ecosystems.

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May 8, 2019

Media Statement: A Human Right to Survive is Born in Denver

Media Statement: A Human Right to Survive is Born in Denver

“This idea of a real human right to survive in the 21st century … was born – through the determination and commitment of the people who live [in Denver].”

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May 8, 2019

Media Release:  Judge Denies Toledoans and Lake Erie Access to Court

Media Release: Judge Denies Toledoans and Lake Erie Access to Court

As a judge denies Toledoans and Lake Erie intervention to defend the Lake Erie Bill of Rights against an agribusiness lawsuit to overturn it, community members file an appeal.

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Sep 17, 2018

Press Release: Ho-Chunk Nation General Council Approves Rights of Nature Constitutional Amendment

Press Release: Ho-Chunk Nation General Council Approves Rights of Nature Constitutional Amendment

The General Council of the Ho-Chunk Nation votes overwhelmingly in support of a Rights of Nature constitutional amendment.

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Aug 28, 2018

Press Release: Lake Erie Bill of Rights Blocked from November Ballot

Press Release: Lake Erie Bill of Rights Blocked from November Ballot

Growing efforts to stifle voting rights continue in Ohio as local government blocks Toledo residents’ Lake Erie Bill of Rights from the November ballot.

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Aug 24, 2018

Press Release: Franklin County Board of Elections Denies Residents the Right to Vote

Press Release: Franklin County Board of Elections Denies Residents the Right to Vote

The Franklin County, OH, Board of Elections strips 560,000 Columbus citizens of their right to vote on a rights-based ballot measure to protect the community from fracking waste.

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Aug 17, 2018

Court of Appeals Decides to Avoid Voting Rights Issue, Denies Athens Residents an Appeal

Court of Appeals Decides to Avoid Voting Rights Issue, Denies Athens Residents an Appeal

Athens County, OH, residents advancing Community Rights to protect themselves from fracking through citizen initiative are denied their appeal.

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