The corporate state's judiciary punishes attorneys defending Grant Township, PA, residents against the oil and gas industry by imposing sanctions.
Press Release: Coos Bay Estuary Speaks Out Against FERC
Coos Bay Estuary on the coast of Oregon files to intervene in FERC proceedings. Coos Bay is threatened by a massive LNG export terminal and…
Press Release: Bowling Green Residents Tip OH Supreme Court in their Favor, Win Fight for Right to Vote
Bowling Green residents declare victory! Their right to vote affirmed in Ohio Supreme Court as the first-in-the-state Right to Climate initiative goes on the November…
Press Release: Split Decision in Ohio Supreme Court for Youngstown Ballot Initiatives
In a 4-3 decision, the Ohio Supreme Court denies Youngstown residents the right to vote. Residents vow they are not surrendering their rights.
Press Release: People’s Constitutional Right to Form Charter Government Stricken by Ohio Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court places insurmountable requirements on county charter initiatives. For three years, counties have attempted to protect themselves from fracking through advancing rights-based…
Press Release: Ohio Residents Take Fight for Right to Vote to Ohio Supreme Court
Boards of Elections use new found authority to block citizen initiatives off the ballot in Athens and Medina Counties in Ohio. CELDF is assisting residents…
Press Release: Citizen Initiative Removes Corporations from Election Campaigns, Caps Campaign Contributions
Youngstown, OH, residents submit petitions to place a fair elections initiative on the November ballot. The measure includes removing corporations from campaigns.
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…
Press Release: 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…
Press Release: 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…
Press Release: 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…
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…
Press Release: Athens County Residents Fight for Right to Initiative
Athens County, OH, residents worked with CELDF to file a protest today against their Board of Elections. The Board blocked their qualified County Charter initiative…
Press Release: Green Party of England and Wales Adopts Rights of Nature Policy – CELDF Assisted in Drafting New Rights-Based Plank
CELDF assists the Green Party of England and Wales to draft a Rights of Nature policy platform, which was adopted by the Party on Sunday.…
CELDF Celebrates 20 Years!
The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund turns 20 years old! What began as a mission to help communities fight permits has evolved into a Community…
Press Release: Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection Recognizes Community Authority to Ban Frack Wastewater Injection Wells
MERCERSBURG, PA: On August 12, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) took an unprecedented step, for the first time suspending the issuance of a…
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…
CELDF Statement on New York Fracking Decision
We congratulate the victory in the New York Court of Appeals for banning fracking. We also recognize the Court, rather than affirming communities' right to…
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…
CELDF Statement: A New Civil Rights Movement: Liberating Our Communities from Corporate Control
A Pennsylvania Judge Holds That Corporations Are Not “Persons” Under the Pennsylvania Constitution.
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…