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New York State Bar Association Legislative Forum – Keynote Address
May 23, 2018, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm EDT
Legislative Forum 2018: The Intersection of Energy, Land Use, and Agriculture
The Legislative Forum will specifically focus on the challenges of siting renewable energy on farmland. While resources exist at NYSERDA and other agencies to help provide guidance on how to enable solar installation on farmland, many municipalities continue to be cautious about their siting. In addition, should there be state law or policies that regulate the farmland / solar siting process with restrictions of placing renewable energy on certain classes of farmland, as has been done in other states such as California?
Maya van Rossum will be delivering the keynote address on the movement to secure constitutional protections for our air and water, which is covered in her new book, The Green Amendment.
When:
May 23, 2018, 10am-2pm
Where:
State Bar Center
1 Elk St
Albany, NY 12207
This event is free to attend, however pre-registration is required.
About the book:
In the decades long fight for a cleaner environment, we’ve been fighting a losing battle. The sad truth is, our laws are designed to accommodate pollution rather than prevent it. People feel powerless when it comes to preserving the quality of their water, air, public parks, and special natural spaces.The solution, argues Delaware Riverkeeper Maya K. van Rossum in a pathbreaking book, is to bypass the laws and turn to the ultimate authority: our state and federal constitutions. In 2013, van Rossum and her team won a watershed legal victory that not only protected Pennsylvania communities from ruthless frackers, but affirmed the constitutional right of people in the state to a clean and healthy environment. Following this victory, van Rossum inaugurated the Green Amendment movement, dedicated to empowering every American community to mobilize for constitutional change. In The Green Amendment, van Rossum lays out an inspiring new agenda for environmental advocacy, one that will finally empower people. We all have the right to pure water, clean air, and a healthy environment. It’s time to claim that right—for our own sake and that of future generations. The Green Amendment includes a powerful foreword authored by Mark Ruffalo, which supports the visionary constitutional path advocated for in the book.
Purchase The Green Amendment here
About the Author:
Maya K. van Rossum is the Delaware Riverkeeper and leader for the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network works throughout the four states of the Delaware River watershed (NY, NJ, PA & DE) and at the national level using advocacy, science and litigation She has led DRN for over 23 years. During van Rossum’s leadership, the organization, and van Rossum herself, were the lead plaintiffs that brought forth the legal arguments that inspired the PA Supreme Court to breathe life into PA’s long ignored environmental rights amendment. van Rossum is currently advancing The Green Amendment movement, seeking to inspire and secure constitutional protection for environmental rights across the nation.
