Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the ratification of Pennsylvania's Environmental Rights Amendment.

IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 410 Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the ratification of Pennsylvania’s Environmental Rights Amendment. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 18, 2021 Ms. DEAN (for herself, Mr. EVANS, Ms. HOULAHAN, and Ms. SCANLON) sub- mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources RESOLUTION Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the ratification of Pennsylvania’s Environmental Rights Amendment. Whereas, on May 18, 1971, Pennsylvania voters ratified arti- cle 1, section 27 of their constitution, commonly referred to as the ‘‘Environmental Rights Amendment’’; Whereas the amendment guarantees the people of Pennsyl- vania the right to clean air, pure water, and the preserva- tion of the natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic values of the environment; Whereas the amendment ensures Pennsylvania’s public nat- ural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:43 May 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR410.IH HR410 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 410 IH Whereas, with the amendment, the Commonwealth became trustee of these resources and shall conserve and main- tain them for the benefit of all the people; Whereas the joint resolution which proposed the amendment had unanimous support in both the Pennsylvania House and Senate, and was approved by Pennsylvania voters with a four-to-one margin; Whereas the ballot measure had broad support from numer- ous organizations including the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Pennsylvania League of Women Voters, and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council; Whereas the amendment made the Pennsylvania government responsible for the environment, giving the public the ability to compel the government to act through legal means; Whereas the ratification of the amendment established the right to a healthy environment as important and nec- essary as other constitutional rights in Pennsylvania; Whereas the amendment was created to protect Pennsylva- nia’s environment and natural resources from further devastation caused by a lack of environmental regulation for over a century; and Whereas those in the Pennsylvania State government, specifi- cally Representative Franklin L. Kury, worked tirelessly to pass the amendment through the Pennsylvania Gen- eral Assembly and advance it on the primary ballot to provide Pennsylvania’s environment with permanent pro- tection in the Commonwealth’s constitution: Now, there- fore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:43 May 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR410.IH HR410 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 410 IH (1) recognizes the 50th anniversary of the rati- 1 fication of the Environmental Rights Amendment in 2 Pennsylvania; 3 (2) recognizes the broad support the amend- 4 ment had among Pennsylvania citizens and govern- 5 ment; 6 (3) acknowledges this amendment is crucial to 7 the protection of Pennsylvania’s environment and 8 natural resources; 9 (4) supports the values espoused by the amend- 10 ment, including the notion of the right to clean air 11 and pure water, and the Commonwealth’s responsi- 12 bility in preserving the environment for future gen- 13 erations; and 14 (5) recognizes the conservation of environment 15 is key to the future success of the United States. 16 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:43 May 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR410.IH HR410 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS