Summary
In 2008, the town of Nottingham, New Hampshire adopted an ordinance banning corporate water withdrawals for resale and recognizing rights of nature. The ordinance also states that natural communities and ecosystems shall be considered legal “persons” for the purpose of protecting those rights (2). This ordinance was in response to USA Springs corporation seeking to withdraw water from the community’s bedrock aquifer to bottle and sell. The ordinance states, “It shall be unlawful for any corporation or its directors, officers, owners, or managers to interfere with the rights of natural communities and ecosystems to exist and flourish, or to cause damage to those natural communities and ecosystems.”