New bill seeks to grant legal rights to water in New York
A groundbreaking bill could provide local communities, including Native nations, the legal tools to protect their waters from pollution and industrial exploitation.
This news brief is based on information provided in a press release from the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund.
A new bill introduced in the New York State Assembly could significantly change how natural resources are protected, especially for Indigenous communities that have long fought for the safeguarding of their sacred lands and waters. On Wednesday, Assemblyman Patrick Burke unveiled the “Great Lakes and State Waters Bill of Rights” (AO5156A), a landmark piece of legislation aimed at granting legal rights to all waters within the state, including the Great Lakes.
If passed, this bill would recognize the “unalienable and fundamental rights” of ecosystems and bodies of water to “exist, persist, flourish, naturally evolve, regenerate and be restored.” The law would allow local municipalities and counties to enact laws that protect their local ecosystems from pollution and industrial exploitation, providing communities more control over the environmental decisions that impact their health and resources.
For Native communities, this bill includes provisions designed to protect treaty rights, ensuring that tribal nations can safeguard their traditional lands and waters from harmful development. This bill builds on previous efforts, such as the 2014 Lake Erie Bill of Rights, which was inspired by the efforts to protect the water supply of Toledo, Ohio.
The bill is also a response to ongoing environmental challenges affecting the Great Lakes, which provide drinking water to millions. Experts warn that pollution, invasive species and toxic algae blooms threaten the region’s water quality and ecosystem health.