New York State (USA) Law: Great Lakes and State Waters Bill of Rights

Summary

In February 2025, a bill was re-introduced in the New York state legislature to amend the state’s environmental conservation law and create the Great Lakes and State Waters Bill of Rights. The purpose of the legislation is “to secure the right for the Great Lakes ecosystems, as well as the watersheds and ecosystems throughout NYS, to possess the fundamental rights to exist and flourish.” These rights include “rights to exist, persist, flourish, naturally evolve, regenerate, and be restored” for all natural water features, communities of organisms, soil, and terrestrial and aquatic sub-ecosystems. The legislation also recognizes that people and the natural environment of the state of New York possess the right to a clean and healthy environment.

This legislation also recognizes the long-standing stewardship of Indigenous peoples, who have protected and maintained these waters for generations, and affirms the continued responsibility to safeguard these vital ecosystems for future generations. The language was drafted with the assistance of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) in collaboration with local and Indigenous partners.

The legislation was originally introduced in 2019 as the Lake Erie Bill of Rights. Recognizing that the health of the Great Lakes adjacent to New York state are inextricably linked to the entire Great Lakes ecosystem, the bill was amended to encompass Lake Erie and Lake Ontario within the jurisdiction of New York State, resulting in the current iteration: The Great Lakes and State Waters Bill of Rights. The Great Lakes Bill of Rights was introduced in 2021-2022 (legislation A3604), but did not make it past the committee stage, and again in 2023, which similarly did not make it out of committee. The 2025 legislation (A5156A) was re-drafted with updated language and reintroduced in 2025 by assemblyman Patrick Burke.

Involved Organizations

Related Initiatives