• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
eco-jurisprudence monitor logo

Eco Jurisprudence Monitor

  • Tracker
    • Report Initiative
    • Printable Charts
    • Data Request
    • Codebook
    • Data Ethics
  • Toolkit
  • About
    • About Us
    • Team
    • Our Story
    • Tracker FAQ
    • Get Involved
    • Contact Us
  • English
    • Español

Town of Ashland U.S. Community Bill of Rights and Rights of Nature Ordinance

United States of America
Ashland, New Hampshire
Rejected in 2018
Local law
Rights Of Nature
"Nature"
All Nature
CELDF, Local residents
Civil Society, NGO

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.

Legal Document

To see the original legal document(s) for this initiative, click the links below:

Ashland Community Rights-Based Ordinance [PDF]

Additional Resources

To see other supplementary information related to this initiative, click the links below:

Article Op Ed
Article - Ashland voters reject rights-based ordinance meant to fend off Northern Pass
New Hampshire Community Rights Network Webpage

When using our data, please follow the FAIR and CARE Principles for data governance outlined in our Ethics Statement. We are doing our best to be correct in the information we provide, but if you notice any omission or inaccuracy, please report this to us immediately at info@ecojurisprudence.org so we can correct it.

Eco Jurisprudence Tracker is licensed under CC BY 4.0

Footer

Privacy Policy

Contact

  • Tracker
  • News
  • About
  • English
  • Español

© 2025 Eco Jurisprudence Monitor – all rights reserved.