Summary
In 2018, residents of Ashland, New Hampshire submitted a community-rights based ordinance banning unsustainable energy projects and recognizing that “ecosystems within Ashland possess the right to exist, flourish, and naturally evolve.” The ordinance says residents of Ashland have a duty to safeguard the water on and beneath the Earth’s surface and safeguard the rights of ecosystems to exist. The ordinance declares the right to a sustainable energy future, scenic preservation, peaceful enjoyment of home, pure water, clean air, governmental legitimacy, local community self-government, and exercise the right of self-government. However, the ordinance did not pass.