Clifford Chance

NY Approves Constitutional Right To Healthy Environment

January 31, 2022

New York voters have approved the "Green" or "Environmental Rights" Amendment to the state's constitution, which provides that "[e]ach person shall have a right to clean air and water, and a healthful environment."

In a victory for ESG activists, New York voters approved the "Green Amendment," also known as the "Environmental Rights Amendment," to the state's constitution. New York thus joins the ranks of Pennsylvania, Montana, Illinois, Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Rhode Island, which provide some form of constitutional right to, or protection for, a healthy environment.

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