Madison, Wis. — Today, The Republican controlled Senate Committee on Transportation and Local Government heard Senate Bill 420, a bill which would prohibit local governments from adopting rights of nature ordinances.
Rep Miresse released the following:
“As we heard from advocates today, Rights of Nature is one of the strongest tools local governments have to protect clean air, clean water, and healthy soil for future generations — so that our grandchildren, and their children after them, can drink our waters, eat food grown in our soils, and hunt in our forests.”
Rep. Tenorio released the following:
“In this time of escalating climate catastrophe and environmental degradation, our local governments need every tool at their disposal to protect their citizens and the ecosystems under their care. Taking options off the table is the exact opposite of what we should be doing as a legislature.”
Rep Madison released the following:
“For more than a century, U.S. law has recognized that corporations have certain legal rights; even a form of legal personhood. If corporations can be granted legal protections, then surely our municipalities should be able to protect the streams, forests, and wildlife that are vital to their communities.”
