Community Access to Environmental Rights and Justice  

We believe every New Yorker should have “a right to clean air and water, and a healthful environment” and that is why EANY has been working enshrine these rights in the New York State Constitution through our Environmental Bill of Rights campaign. The current New York Bill of Rights contains many of our most sacred civil liberties, but does not provide these important environmental protections as a constitutional right for all New Yorkers. We’ve made progress on this campaign with first passage of the legislation last year (2020) in Albany, and second passage during this year’s legislative session. 

Because Senate bill S.528 and Assembly bill A.1368, sponsored by Senator Robert Jackson and Assembly member Steve Englebright, have passed their respective houses for the second time, New Yorkers will now have the opportunity to vote in November and decide if we all deserve the right to clean air and water. Join our Facebook group to learn more about the Environmental Bill of Rights and stay up to date! Check out our fact sheet on the campaign, and add your name or organization to our support petition here. 

In addition, we fight hard to ensure communities have the legal tools to challenge environmental threats. Private enforcement, through citizen suit provisions, has been an important staple of federal environmental law for decades, but our communities need the same opportunities under state environmental laws. EANY works to advocate for policies that empower our communities and give them the right tools and ensure access to justice.