Search Results for: rights of nature

Aug 22, 2015

The Colorado Statesman: Activists tweak message, timing in latest anti-fracking ballot fight

Activists will take another crack at passing the Colorado Community Rights Amendment, a proposed ballot initiative designed to give localities a veto over corporate activity, starting with the oil and gas industry.

Read More | News from the Grassroots

Aug 21, 2015

E&E Reporter: Fracking foes ask Ohio Supreme Court to reinstate ballot drives

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted blocked the initiatives in Athens, Fulton and Medina counties on Nov. 13, 2014, saying local governments cannot get around state law that allows fracking. He acted under a section of Ohio law that allows the secretary of state to respond to election complaints (EnergyWire, Aug. 17).

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Aug 21, 2015

Press Release: Fracking Fight Heats Up in Ohio

COLUMBUS, OH: With the oil and gas industry already reveling in a recent Ohio Supreme Court decision stripping local control on fracking and other extraction activities away from communities, the Secretary of State has now handed the industry another victory, opening the door for fracking infrastructure projects to spread even faster across Ohio.

Read More | Community Wires

Aug 19, 2015

Meigs County Home Rule Committee

A state constitution is the governing document of a U.S. state, like as the United States Constitution is the governing document of the United States. Then, a county charter can rightly be compared to a constitution at the local level. It spells out the powers, duties and structures of government and the rights of county citizens.

Read More | Community Wires

Aug 14, 2015

Press Release: Ohio Secretary of State Denies Ohio Citizens their Constitutional Right to Vote

COLUMBUS, OH: The Ohio Secretary of State, Jon Husted, declared that the citizens of Medina, Fulton, and Athens Counties may not vote on their own county charter initiatives, despite meeting requirements to place those initiatives on the November ballot.

Read More | Community Wires

Aug 12, 2015

Media Statement: Meigs County Commissioners Resort to Chicanery to Keep County Charter Initiative off the Ballot

MEIGS COUNTY, OH: Frustrated by the efforts of the Meigs County Commissioners to keep residents’ community rights county charter initiative off the November ballot, the Meigs County Home Rule Committee (MCHRC) has sued the Commissioners to force the measure on to the ballot.

Read More | Community Wires

Aug 12, 2015

State College

On November 8, 2011, the residents of State College voted overwhelmingly—72%—to amend their Home Rule Charter to include a Community Bill of Rights.

Read More | Community Wires

Aug 12, 2015

Peters Township Overview

On November 23, 2010 Ellen Mavrich contacted CELDF asking for advice about adopting a community rights ordinance similar to the one enacted by Pittsburgh City Council, in consultation with CELDF, on November 16th. This is their story.

Read More | Community Wires

Aug 11, 2015

Press Release: Ecosystem, Community Group, and Municipal Authority File for Intervention in Lawsuit to Defend Community from Injection Well

HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP, PA: Today, an ecosystem in the United States filed a motion to intervene in a federal lawsuit to defend its own rights to exist and flourish.

Read More | Community Wires, Press Releases & Blogs

Aug 4, 2015

Water Privatization

Water is life – yet corporations are taking communities’ water for profit. CELDF has assisted the first communities in the U.S. to prohibit water privatization. Learn here about the harms from privatizing our water, how communities are organizing to stop them, and what you can do in your own community.

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Aug 4, 2015

Retail Chains

Everyone loves a good deal, right? But what are those low, low prices really costing you and your community? CELDF helps communities threatened by big retail chains. Read here about their harms, and what you can do in your community.

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Aug 4, 2015

Pipelines

CELDF is helping the first communities in the country to prohibit pipelines. Read here about the dangers of pipelines, the ways in which communities are organizing to stop them, and what you can do in your community.

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Aug 4, 2015

Mining

CELDF helps communities facing industrial mining operations, which threaten the environmental, economic, and civil rights of communities. Learn here about the dangers of mining, and what you can do in your community.

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Aug 4, 2015

Fracking

Fracking is spreading across the U.S. – and CELDF has assisted the first communities in the U.S. to ban it. Learn here about the harms caused by fracking, how communities are organizing to stop them, and what you can do in your community.

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Aug 4, 2015

Chemical Trespass

Chemical trespass occurs when people and the natural environment are harmed by chemical agents that are forced into communities – and CELDF is helping the first communities in the country to stop it. Learn more about chemical trespass, how communities are organizing to ban it, and what you can do in your community.

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Apr 1, 2015

In Remembrance of Gail Darrell

It is with great sadness that we share with you the loss of our friend and colleague, Gail Darrell. For nearly a decade, Gail has worked to protect communities across New England from corporate and government interests that sought to override the rights of people, communities, and nature.

Read More | Press Releases & Blogs

Mar 15, 2015

OHCRN Statement: Broadview Heights, OH, County Court Decision Evokes Rallying Cry from Residents

While a County Court elevates corporate claimed “rights” over community rights in Broadview Heights, OH, residents assert the decision is illegitimate and determine to continue on.

Read More | Uncategorized

Feb 23, 2015

Press Release: Oregon Files Constitutional Amendment to Secure Right to Local, Community Self-Government

ORCRN files a proposed state constitutional amendment to secure citizens’ right to local, community self-government, thereby enabling the people to protect themselves from harmful corporate activities, and move towards sustainability.

Read More | Community Wires

Feb 18, 2015

OHCRN Statement: Rejecting the Munroe Falls Decision

Read More | Uncategorized

Feb 17, 2015

OHCRN: Kent Law Director Proposes Charter Amendment Granting Him Veto Power over Citizens’ Proposed Initiatives

Kent, OH, law director attempts to preempt citizens’ right to initiative by changing the city’s Charter – giving him the authority to veto proposed initiatives at his discretion.

Read More | Community Wires

Feb 14, 2015

CELDF Statement: Spokane Initiative Decision

In the face of corporations and government joining together to suppress the democratic rights of the people of Spokane, WA, to vote on a Community Bill of Rights, last week the Washington Court of Appeals overturned an earlier ruling and ordered the initiative be placed back on the ballot for a vote of the people.

Read More | Uncategorized

Feb 4, 2015

CELDF Statement: Spokane Initiative Decision

In the face of corporations and government joining together to suppress the democratic rights of the people of Spokane, WA, to vote on a Community Bill of Rights, last week the Washington Court of Appeals overturned an earlier ruling and ordered the initiative be placed back on the ballot for a vote of the people.

Read More | Uncategorized

Feb 3, 2015

CELDF Statement: Spokane Initiative Appellate Court Decision

In the face of corporations and government joining together to suppress the democratic rights of the people of Spokane, WA, to vote on a Community Bill of Rights, last week the Washington Court of Appeals overturned an earlier ruling and ordered the initiative be placed back on the ballot for a vote of the people.

Read More | Community Wires, Press Releases & Blogs

Nov 10, 2014

Punishing Democracy

Denton, TX, joins a growing number of communities being sued by their own government and corporate entities, to punish communities for democratically enacting bans on fracking.

Read More | Press Releases & Blogs

Sep 1, 2014

Spokane

In 2007, after a series of Democracy Schools held in Spokane, Washington, a group of citizens led by local school teacher Brad Read built a coalition to support a Community Bill of Rights for City residents.

Read More | Community Wires

Aug 19, 2014

Press Release: Lafayette, CO, Residents Seek Injunction Against State & Oil and Gas Industry for Violating the Right of Local Self-Government

Lafayette, CO, residents seek a preliminary injunction against the State of Colorado, the Governor, and the Colorado Oil and Gas Association to enforce their Community Bill of Rights banning fracking – adopted overwhelmingly by residents last November.

Read More | Community Wires, Press Releases & Blogs

May 15, 2014

Mora County Legal Defense Fund

The Mora County Legal Defense Fund was formed to protect Mora’s Community Rights – including their right to clean air and water, a healthy environment, and local self-governance – as they face a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, which claims a constitutional right to frack against the will of the people of Mora.

Read More | Uncategorized

Feb 24, 2014

CELDF’s February Update

Here’s an update on some of our latest work.

Read More | Uncategorized

Jan 31, 2014

CELDF’s January 2014 Update

Thank you for supporting us in 2013! With your contributions, we will expand our work in 2014, meeting the growing numbers of requests for help from communities across the United States. If you have not yet donated, please click on the purple DONATE button on our website.

Read More | Uncategorized

Dec 20, 2013

FAQs – Pennsylvania Supreme Court Ruling on Act 13

Q. Does the Act 13 ruling ban fracking in Pennsylvania? A. No. The Act 13 ruling allows municipal governments to return to their status prior to the adoption of Act 13 – that of being able to adopt local zoning ordinances which control where oil and gas drilling can occur on the surface within the community.

Read More | Uncategorized

Dec 19, 2013

Pennsylvania’s Act 13 – Fracking

On December 19, 2013, the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court found much of Act 13 unconstitutional. CELDF issued a press statement and FAQs

Read More | Uncategorized

Dec 19, 2013

Press Release: Statement on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Ruling that Parts of Act 13 are Unconstitutional

“This ruling, while welcome, does not stop fracking of Pennsylvania’s communities, nor does it recognize the right of the people of Pennsylvania to govern their own communities without state or corporate interference.” – Thomas Linzey, Esq., Executive Director

Read More | Community Wires, Press Releases & Blogs

Oct 17, 2013

October 2013 CELDF Update

Updates from Oregon to Austraila in this month’s CELDF’s newsletter.

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Jul 8, 2013

July 2013 CELDF Update

Updates and news from CELDF communities across the country.

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Apr 29, 2013

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

Mar 13, 2013

Highland Township Retains Law Firm to Defend Injection Well Ordinance

Highland Township, PA, Board of Supervisors vote unanimously to retain CELDF to help defend their “Community Rights Protection from Injection Wells Ordinance” against Seneca Resources.

Read More | Community Wires

Feb 6, 2013

Tree Media, producing films such as The 11th Hour and Urban Roots, is partnering with CELDF to make a film called We The People 2.0, about our grassroots organizing and our community partners. Below is a trailer for the film.

Sometimes, a film comes along that conveys a message we’ve been listening for, but haven’t yet heard. A message that shows us what we’ve had a sense of, but haven’t been able to explain – let alone offer a solution.

Read More | Uncategorized

Sep 15, 2012

Position Paper on Sustainable Energy

Currently, most development of wind energy resources is carried out by a handful of large corporations…. The corporation…controls the land, production of energy from the wind resource, and the distribution of that energy to the grid.

Read More | Press Releases & Blogs

Aug 22, 2012

Why the Recent Act 13 Decision Won’t Help to Stop Fracking

How Environmental Groups Keep Leading Communities into Dead-Ends.

Read More | Uncategorized

Jan 1, 2012

Statement on Efforts to Amend the U.S. Constitution following Citizens United

A great deal of activism has emerged in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC. In that case, the Court declared that corporate First Amendment “free speech” rights were violated by federal law which limited corporate spending in elections. Following the ruling, several groups began working to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution to overturn Citizens United. CELDF was invited to participate in those efforts based on our ongoing legislative work on corporate “rights.”… As the Legal Defense Fund has observed the national activism following the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United, we’ve declined to participate in proposed efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution for two main reasons.

Read More | Press Releases & Blogs

Oct 31, 2011

The Next Step: Beyond Sustainable Agriculture

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Oct 11, 2011

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

Aug 16, 2011

Envision Spokane Successfully Qualifies Initiative to the Ballot

Envision Spokane’s Brad Read on the “Community Bill of Rights” Initiative.

Read More | Uncategorized

Nov 16, 2010

Press Release: Pittsburgh Bans Natural Gas Drilling

Today, the Pittsburgh City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance banning corporations from conducting shale gas drilling in the city.

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

Nov 10, 2010

Shale gas can pollute the air, too…But Marcellus companies might even profit from preventive measures

“Drilling opponents and supporters can all agree that if Marcellus Shale development proceeds, it should happen in a manner that protects workers, the environment and communities.”

Read More | Uncategorized

Nov 7, 2010

Blaine Township

Blaine Township is a small rural township some 45 miles west of Pittsburgh, in Washington County, Pennsylvania. Western Pennsylvania has been mining coal for 250 years, but no mining has occurred in Blaine and its residents and township supervisors aim to keep it that way.

Read More | Community Wires

Sep 16, 2010

CELDF on the Radio

“Democracy Matters” New Podcast for September 16, 2010

Read More | Uncategorized

Apr 6, 2006

Barnstead & Nottingham, NH, Live Up To Their State Constitution

The story of how two communities changed their thinking and their strategies, and became the first to adopt rights-based ordinances banning water privatization.

Read More | Community Wires, News from the Grassroots

Mar 9, 2005

A Movement Diverted: How Corporations Neutralized Anti-Chain Store Campaigns Of the 1920s and 1930s

Early in the 20th Century, giant corporations like Woolworth’s, Sears Roebuck, J.C. Penney, Ligget, and A&P began forcing their chain stores into communities across the nation. The chains were unwelcome. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, people in towns from coast to coast banded together to stop this corporate invasion, only to be beaten back by corporations and the federal government.

Read More | Press Releases & Blogs

Aug 30, 1930

Centralization and Popular Control, From: The Growth and Decadence of Constitutional Government, by J. Allen Smith, 1930

The attitude of the well-to-do classes toward local self-government was profoundly influenced by the extension of the suffrage…the removal of property qualifications tended to divest the old ruling class of its control in local affairs.

Read More | Resource Links