First, the coming Delaware Green Amendment movement is not the Green New Deal. To understand it, please think of the Delaware Constitution, which does guarantee you certain rights, such as freedom of speech. To many folks’ surprise, you currently do not have the right to pure water, clean air, stable climate and healthy environments for all Delaware people. With your help in the next two months, we can fix this.
Second, the Green Amendment has been successfully promoted into state constitutions in Montana, Pennsylvania and New York by its book author and attorney advocate. The architect behind all this is Maya K. van Rossum, Esq., who also has been heralded as the Delaware Riverkeeper for more than 28 years.
We are now all at a critical crossroads with the recent March 2022 Environmental Integrity Project National Clean Water Act report placing Delaware dead last out of all 50 states on our waters being usable. "Delaware has the highest percentage of its rivers and streams classified as impaired in the U.S., with 97 percent of the state’s 1,104 miles of assessed waterways listed as impaired for one or more use." It doesn’t take a whole lot of thought to understand the possible negative economic impacts if we don’t work now to fix this. It took decades to develop the Delaware tourist, retail, retirement and real estate industries. This Delaware prime ocean environment was recently ranked No. 5 in America’s vacation home counties in America (2020 MLS data). It could take mere days to lose it if this continues. People will hesitate to move, vacation, dine or buy houses here in the future if this gets any worse.
One possible future is Maya’s launching of the Delaware initiative with key stakeholders and assistance from the Mid-Atlantic Justice Coalition advocacy group. The goal is to pass the Green Amendment in Delaware by bringing a vote on HB 220 in the next few months. The prime legislative sponsor of this new bill is Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton, D-Newark.
To help promote the importance of why, there will be a support rally at 1 p.m., Tuesday, May 17, at Legislative Hall in Dover.
For all your children, grandchildren and future generations, we respectfully ask you to be there!
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Cape Gazette commentaries are written by readers whose occupations, education, community positions or demonstrated focus in particular areas offer an opportunity to expand our readership's understanding or awareness of issues of interest.
