Gotta love mid- to late-winter variety: Wake up to 29 below, shovel five inches of snow, break out the shorts for at least one 60-plus degree afternoon high then hold onto that ballcap walking into a 55-mile per hour headwind – all within a fortnight. During the same timeframe in the Unicameral legislation is percolating as hundreds of bills introduced this year swim upstream to see what survives.
A few weeks ago I read the Nebraska Recycling Council newsletter and made a mental note to check back on the organization’s bills of interest this session. Instead, (looking at deadline) I opted for a general Google search for Nebraska environmental legislation. The item that stood out:
LR22CA, introduced by Senator Dungan. Bill would– the bill would propose an amendment to the Nebraska Constitution, which provides that people have the right to a clean and healthy natural environment, and that the state and political subdivisions will serve as trustee for the natural resources of Nebraska. (source: nebraskalegislature.gov)
An amendment to the state’s constitution is serious. It would really say something if our officially nonpartisan legislature would advance the bill to the 2026 ballot to be considered by a Republican majority populace. There always seems to be at least one caller on Governor Jim Pillen’s monthly call-in radio show deriding “green energy”.
Everyone wants a “clean and healthy natural environment” though I never thought it would be a right on par with freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, freedom of the press and freedom of petition. This is not about recycling or preserving endangered species (as far as I can tell) rather it means anyone living or visiting Nebraska will be able to expect and hold the government to account to an agreed upon standard.
Federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency already enforce certain standards throughout the United States. However, Nebraska could determine its own more stringent expectations to prevent water and air pollution, for example, with subdivisions like Box Butte County and the Village of Hemingford making sure it happens.
The legislative resolution still has a long road to hoe. Personally, I think the proposed amendment is a capital idea though I have been unable to find much on how it would ultimately be implemented and how the government would define “clean and healthy” in practice.
Unfortunately, the transcript for the bill’s Feb. 26 hearing was not posted on the legislature’s official website that evening. So, I cannot relate how people sounded while speaking for or against. Taking the route of amending a state constitution to codify environment rights is notable. A January 22, 2025, news release from the Nebraska Sierra Club and others states:
“If passed this year, Nebraska could be the 4th state in the nation to have a constitutional Green Amendment giving highest constitutional protection to environmental rights,” said Maya van Rossum, Founder of the national Green Amendments movement and organization, Green Amendments for the Generations and author of The Green Amendment, the People’s Fight For a Clean, Safe & Healthy Environment. According to van Rossum, “Green Amendments are a special type of constitutional environmental rights amendment. By placing environmental rights in a state constitution’s Bill of Rights, using carefully crafted language that creates an enforceable right of the people that is self-executing and generational, Green Amendments ensure the highest constitutional protection for the environment.” . . .
Senator George Dungan, who introduced the amendment January 21, explains, “The Nebraska Green Amendment recognizes and protects our right to a clean and healthy environment. This is an opportunity for Nebraska to become a leader in environmental protections so that all citizens – current and future – have access to clean air, water, soil, and ecosystems. I’ve spoken with youth from all around the state about the issues that are important to them, and they consistently put the need for clean air and water at the top of their list. We owe it to future generations to act now.”
I couldn’t agree more. Maybe in the near future “Keep Alliance Beautiful” will be within your rights and not just a suggestion.