CT coalition pushes constitutional right to clean air
A coalition in Connecticut has sent a letter urging the attorney general to pursue a constitutional amendment guaranteeing a clean environment — a regional push that New England organizers say could provide a model for state‑level environmental rights strategies. The campaign frames constitutional change as a long‑term tool for frontline protection. (x.com)
Thirty-five Connecticut organizations delivered a letter to Attorney General William Tong urging him to back the Connecticut Environmental Rights Amendment (CTERA), according to a coalition press release dated April 1, 2026. (forthegenerations.org) The coalition asked Tong to support language that declares “an individual right to clean and healthy air, water, soil, ecosystems and environment and a safe and stable climate,” language that matches the CTERA text filed as SJ 37. (ct-era.org) Connecticut’s Government Administration and Elections Committee voted 13–6 on March 20, 2026 to advance SJ 37 toward the ballot, a legislative milestone cited by the coalition as justification for the AG’s endorsement. (forthegenerations.org) Organizers ran at least three public town halls in Mansfield, Stamford and Middletown featuring Green Amendments founder Maya K. van Rossum and state lawmakers including Reps. Matt Blumenthal and Gregory Haddad and Sen. Mae Flexer, with coalition partners reporting more than 95 attendees across the events. (ctnofa.org) The coalition’s materials frame the amendment as a long-term legal tool to protect frontline communities and cite existing state-level protections in Pennsylvania, Montana and New York as precedents in their messaging. (forthegenerations.org) Coalition organizers are publicly pressing legislative leaders to pass the resolution this session and asking the attorney general to declare public support for “strong and effective language” before final votes, according to the April 1 coalition release. (forthegenerations.org)
