Press Releases & Blogs

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Jul 24, 2017

Press Release: Oregon River Stands Up for its Rights

Press Release: Oregon River Stands Up for its Rights

The Siletz River watershed in Lincoln County, OR, files to intervene in a case to protect itself against aerially sprayed pesticides. The practice was banned by county residents in May.

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Jul 15, 2017

Press Release: Court Dismisses Climate Lawsuit on Procedural Grounds; Constitutional Right to a Healthy Climate Ignored

Press Release: Court Dismisses Climate Lawsuit on Procedural Grounds; Constitutional Right to a Healthy Climate Ignored

A federal judge uses “standing” to dismiss Spokane residents’ lawsuit asserting a right to a healthy climate, ignoring the urgency of climate change and the people’s rights.

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Jul 11, 2017

Press Release: Athens and Medina Boards of Elections Spark Uproar, Refuse the People’s Initiatives

Press Release: Athens and Medina Boards of Elections Spark Uproar, Refuse the People’s Initiatives

Ohio county Boards of Elections block Home Rule charter citizen initiatives from the ballot, raising frustration in Athens and Medina County residents. The rights-based measures banned fracking activities as a violation of rights.

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Jul 7, 2017

Press Release: Oil & Gas Corp. Sues Community, Goes After Lawyers

Press Release: Oil & Gas Corp. Sues Community, Goes After Lawyers

PGE corporation is attempting to force fracking wastewater into Grant Twp, PA. Now they seek sanctions against CELDF attorneys working on behalf of the community.

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Jul 6, 2017

Press Release: People’s Right to a Healthy Climate Takes Center Stage in Federal Court

Press Release: People’s Right to a Healthy Climate Takes Center Stage in Federal Court

Spokane, WA, residents set to make their argument for a right to climate in federal court next week. CELDF filed a lawsuit on behalf of residents against the U.S. government in January.

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May 31, 2017

Press Release: Lincoln County, OR, Adopts First-in-Nation Ban of Aerial Pesticide Spray

Press Release: Lincoln County, OR, Adopts First-in-Nation Ban of Aerial Pesticide Spray

Lincoln County, OR, residents, facing decades of pesticide use by the timber industry, adopt the first ban of the practice as a violation of environmental and democratic rights.

Read More | Community Wires, Press Releases & Blogs, Success Story

May 18, 2017

Press Release: Grant Township, PA, Sues Department of Environmental Protection for Rights Violations

Press Release: Grant Township, PA, Sues Department of Environmental Protection for Rights Violations

Grant Township, PA, is being sued by their own Dept of Environmental Protection to force in a fracking wastewater injection well. CELDF filed a countersuit on behalf of the Township, asserting the DEP is violating the rights of the community and the Charter.

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May 17, 2017

Press Release: Lincoln Co., OR: On Verge of First in Nation Citizen Initiative to Ban Aerial Spray Pesticides

Press Release: Lincoln Co., OR: On Verge of First in Nation Citizen Initiative to Ban Aerial Spray Pesticides

A Community Bill of Rights by the people of Lincoln Co, OR, is just ahead at the polls. Residents are fighting for their democratic and environmental rights to protect themselves from toxic aerial spraying of pesticides.

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May 4, 2017

Press Release: Colombia Constitutional Court Finds Atrato River Possesses Rights

Press Release: Colombia Constitutional Court Finds Atrato River Possesses Rights

Reversing course from mainstream views of nature as property, Colombia’s Constitutional Court finds the Atrato River is a rights-bearing entity – a necessary step to protect life on earth.

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May 4, 2017

Blog: Whose Town is It?

Blog: Whose Town is It?

Members of the New Hampshire legislature took advantage of a spring blizzard, attempting to undermine direct democracy.

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May 3, 2017

Blog: The US Constitution Is So 1789. It’s Time for a Serious Overhaul

Blog: The US Constitution Is So 1789. It’s Time for a Serious Overhaul

The 1% drive for a constitutional convention, advancing their own corporate interests. But we don’t need a convention. We need a whole new constitution.

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May 1, 2017

Press Release: Ohio Communities Assert Right to Propose Laws Protecting Themselves from Fracking

Press Release: Ohio Communities Assert Right to Propose Laws Protecting Themselves from Fracking

Ohio counties exercise their right to protect themselves from fracking activities using community rights. Residents begin gathering signatures for county charter initiatives, aiming for the November ballot.

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Apr 30, 2017

Press Release: “Free and Fair Elections” Initiative Would Ban Corporate Dollars in Local Elections

Press Release: “Free and Fair Elections” Initiative Would Ban Corporate Dollars in Local Elections

Youngstown, OH, residents launch a free and fair election bill of rights initiative for the November ballot. The measure would allow only city residents to make campaign contributions, and caps the contribution amount.

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Apr 25, 2017

Press Release: Oregon’s Right of Local Self-Government Vindicated

Press Release: Oregon’s Right of Local Self-Government Vindicated

Oregon court protects the people’s right to initiative, rejecting the Secretary of State’s effort to block the people’s rights-based state constitutional amendment from the ballot.

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Apr 3, 2017

Blog: Colorado Fracking “Win:” Redefining Victory

Blog: Colorado Fracking “Win:” Redefining Victory

Colorado youth gained a win with the recent Court of Appeals decision regarding the COGCC and fracking permits. But how far does that win go?

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Apr 2, 2017

Who Needs Sanctuary? We All Do

Who Needs Sanctuary? We All Do

People can’t be illegal, but policies that strip them of fundamental rights can be. What can we do? Govern ourselves in the places we live, establishing human rights to safety, dignity, and sanctuary.

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Mar 29, 2017

PR: The Corporate State of Pennsylvania

PR: The Corporate State of Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection sues Townships with Community Rights Home Rule Charters to force in fracking injection wells.

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Mar 24, 2017

PR: India Court Declares Personhood for Ganga and Yumana Rivers

PR: India Court Declares Personhood for Ganga and Yumana Rivers

This week the High Court of Uttarakhand, a state in India, recognized the personhood rights of the River Ganga and River Yumana – a step towards recognizing the rights of nature to exist and flourish.

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Mar 23, 2017

PR: Ohio / Pennsylvania Communities Rising Tour: Defying the Corporate State

PR: Ohio / Pennsylvania Communities Rising Tour: Defying the Corporate State

Ohio and Pennsylvania residents are inundated with environmental harms, and have had enough. Join the Communities Rising tour, featuring voices from the front lines in the wave of direction action against the corporate state. Check it out here.

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Mar 22, 2017

PR: First in Ohio Ballot Initiative: Right to a Healthy Climate in Bowling Green

PR: First in Ohio Ballot Initiative: Right to a Healthy Climate in Bowling Green

Bowling Green, OH, students and residents join together to advance a Community Rights Charter Amendment for the November ballot. The measure would establish a right climate – the first measure of its kind in the state.

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Feb 17, 2017

CELDF Blog: Worried about SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch? Remember, movements don’t begin and end at the Supreme Court steps

CELDF Blog: Worried about SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch? Remember, movements don’t begin and end at the Supreme Court steps

Driving rights forward requires our joining together in advancing cultural and legal change – it will not begin with the Supreme Court.

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Jan 31, 2017

PR: Spokane Arrestees Sue U.S. Government: Seek to Overturn Federal Preemption of Local Control Over Coal and Oil Trains

PR: Spokane Arrestees Sue U.S. Government: Seek to Overturn Federal Preemption of Local Control Over Coal and Oil Trains

CELDF files lawsuit against the federal government, asserting federal law preempting municipal control of fossil fuel rail shipments violates residents’ constitutional right to a healthy climate and local self-government.

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Jan 31, 2017

PR: Spokane Arrestees Sue U.S. Government: Seek to Overturn Federal Preemption of Local Health and Safety Laws Concerning Coal and Oil Trains

PR: Spokane Arrestees Sue U.S. Government: Seek to Overturn Federal Preemption of Local Health and Safety Laws Concerning Coal and Oil Trains

CELDF files lawsuit against the federal government, asserting federal law preempting municipal control of fossil fuel rail shipments violates residents’ constitutional right to a healthy climate and local self-government.

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Jan 15, 2017

Guest Blog: American Propaganda

Guest Blog: American Propaganda

Propaganda is key to controlling our political landscape. Media literacy is crucial to our social activism – we must understand the elite’s control of mass media and how it distorts reality if we are going to stop the corporate state.

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Jan 15, 2017

Blog: Matters of State Concern: The Tyranny of Preemption

Blog: Matters of State Concern: The Tyranny of Preemption

The corporate state justifies obliterating local democracy through claims to be protecting the interests of residents across the state. We can no longer tolerate this tyranny.

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Jan 13, 2017

PR: Ecosystem and Residents File Motion to Intervene In Federal Lawsuit

PR: Ecosystem and Residents File Motion to Intervene In Federal Lawsuit

Crystal Spring Ecosystem and residents of Highland Township, PA, filed to intervene in a lawsuit today. Parties are fighting to block Seneca Resources’ plans to site a frack wastewater injection well in the Township as a violation of their Home Rule Charter.

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Jan 8, 2017

Blog: Relying on Undemocratic Mechanisms to Achieve “Democracy”

Blog: Relying on Undemocratic Mechanisms to Achieve “Democracy”

Our system to elect the President is undemocratic – and so are efforts to use the electoral college to block President-elect Trump on inauguration day. We need systemic change if we are going to realize a democracy.

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Jan 7, 2017

Blog: From Standing Rock to Million Women March and Beyond…if There is One

Blog: From Standing Rock to Million Women March and Beyond…if There is One

From North Dakota to Washington, D.C., people are gathering to protect water, air, and soil, and to make a stand for justice and equality. What’s next?

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Jan 5, 2017

Community Rights Lane County Receives 2016 Community Service Award

Community Rights Lane County Receives 2016 Community Service Award

Community Rights Lane County is the recipient of the Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network (ESSN) 2016 Community Service Award for their “faithful and dedicated service in the fight against injustice.” Congratulations!

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Jan 4, 2017

PR: Cease and Desist Letter Issued to Highland Township Supervisors

PR: Cease and Desist Letter Issued to Highland Township Supervisors

Highland Township, PA, supervisors concede they don’t have the authority to remove the Township’s Water Authority Board after receiving a cease and desist letter. Supervisors have been harassing the Board as the community fights an injection well.

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Dec 29, 2016

PR: Lafayette, CO, Residents Introduce Climate Bill of Rights and Protections

PR: Lafayette, CO, Residents Introduce Climate Bill of Rights and Protections

Lafayette, CO, residents introduce a law codifying the right to a healthy climate, and protecting and enforcing that right through non-violent direct action.

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Dec 27, 2016

Community Rights Paper #15 – Stopping Climate Change: The Slow Train to Nowhere

Community Rights Paper #15 – Stopping Climate Change: The Slow Train to Nowhere

The Paris Agreement will not stop climate change – most experts agree on that. What will? Only we, in our communities, can achieve the changes necessary to protect our communities and the planet.

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Dec 20, 2016

Community Rights Paper #14: Democratic Rights Matter

Community Rights Paper #14: Democratic Rights Matter

There is a corporate state crack down on communities governing themselves and taking action to protect future generations. The crack down is evidence that these communities’ strategies are working, and striking at the power wielded against people and nature.

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Dec 11, 2016

Blog: U.S. Ruled by 9-Headed Monarch: What We Didn’t Learn in School about the Supreme Court

Blog: U.S. Ruled by 9-Headed Monarch: What We Didn’t Learn in School about the Supreme Court

Regardless of our political affiliations, the Supreme Court claims enormous power over our lives. How does this body of government have the authority to restrict rights of “we the people,” while expanding rights of corporations and property?

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Dec 6, 2016

Blog: Fracking Resistance in the UK

Blog: Fracking Resistance in the UK

The British are fighting to protect their communities from fracking, as we are in the U.S. We share a common history: the claimed rights of property exceed the rights of human and natural communities. People are fighting to change it.

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Dec 2, 2016

Ryan Talbott Joins CELDF Board of Directors

Ryan Talbott Joins CELDF Board of Directors

Ryan Talbott, an environmental lawyer, joins the Board of Directors of CELDF.

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Dec 1, 2016

2016: A Year in Review

2016: A Year in Review

What an amazing year – from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Hampshire, to Washington and Oregon, people are growing Community Rights and protecting their communities from corporate harms. Your support makes our work possible!

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Nov 29, 2016

Blog: The Police State Policing Police. How’s That Been Working for You?

Blog: The Police State Policing Police. How’s That Been Working for You?

We live in a corporatized police state. Violence to protect property and suppress people is condoned by the power elite. Rather than pleading for the system to reform itself, we must dismantle it and build anew.

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Nov 19, 2016

Blog: Propertied Privilege Trumps Democracy

Blog: Propertied Privilege Trumps Democracy

Upset with the Electoral College and disturbed by the implications of who was elected President? Let’s look a little deeper and see what’s really going on – and how our “democratic” system is doing exactly what it was engineered to do.

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Nov 12, 2016

Blog: Government Checks and Balances, and the Trump Suit

Blog: Government Checks and Balances, and the Trump Suit

Trump ideology is poised to take over all three branches of government. And yet the fundamental and powerful principal of government’s purpose – to protect the health, safety, and welfare of we, the people – remains, and is realized through the right to local community self-government.

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Nov 8, 2016

PR: Highland Township Bans Injection Wells, Rebukes Corporate Rule

PR: Highland Township Bans Injection Wells, Rebukes Corporate Rule

Highland Township, PA, voters step up their fight to protect themselves from a frack wastewater injection well, adopting a rights-based Home Rule Charter banning the well, 55% to 45%.

Read More | Community Wires, Press Releases & Blogs, Success Story

Nov 8, 2016

PR: Youngstown Residents: Unshakable Determination as They Look Ahead to Next Community Bill of Rights

PR: Youngstown Residents: Unshakable Determination as They Look Ahead to Next Community Bill of Rights

The might of the oil and gas industry and its allies were out in force, outspending residents enormously in today’s election to defeat the people’s Community Bill of Rights banning fracking. While the measure was defeated, the people are not.

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Nov 8, 2016

PR: Waterville Residents Ban Pipelines and Compressor Stations through Adopting Community Bill of Rights

PR: Waterville Residents Ban Pipelines and Compressor Stations through Adopting Community Bill of Rights

Waterville, OH, residents make clear the Nexus pipeline and compressor station will not cut through their community, overwhelmingly adopting a Community Bill of Rights Charter Amendment banning fracking related activities.

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Nov 6, 2016

CELDF Blog: From Absurd and Far-Fetched to Inalienable

CELDF Blog: From Absurd and Far-Fetched to Inalienable

As the predictable self-destruction of this culture of deceit and greed proceeds and accelerates, CELDF’s recommendations for change will become less “far-fetched” and “absurd.” They will at last seem inevitable and unavoidable.

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Oct 7, 2016

Press Release: Lincoln County Residents to Vote on Clean Air and Water in May 2017

Press Release: Lincoln County Residents to Vote on Clean Air and Water in May 2017

Lincoln County, OR, residents qualify their Community Bill of Rights ordinance banning toxic aerial spraying for the May 2017 ballot.

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Oct 5, 2016

CELDF Statement: When Protecting Our Communities Becomes Criminal Activity

CELDF Statement: When Protecting Our Communities Becomes Criminal Activity

Oil and gas industry threatens criminal lawsuits against local elected officials taking a stand to protect their communities’ health, safety, and welfare. In Grant Township, PA, Township Supervisors are undeterred, vowing to continue their fight to protect their water from frack waste.

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Sep 18, 2016

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 to amend their tribal constitution to enshrine the Rights of Nature – the first tribal nation in the United States to take this critical step. A vote of the full membership will follow.

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Sep 13, 2016

Press Release: Right to Initiative Rendered Dead by Ohio Supreme Court

Press Release: Right to Initiative Rendered Dead by Ohio Supreme Court

The Ohio Supreme Court finds on behalf of the oil and gas industry and the colluding state government. The people’s duly qualified rights-based county charter measures are again blocked from the ballot. One Justice dissents, defending the right to local self-government.

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