Luca Grifo-Hahn reflects on why environmental protection is important and why he is inspired to be a part of Sierra Club's campaign to add an Environmental Rights Amendment to the Maryland State Constitution
By Luca Grifo-Hahn
When I think about our most fundamental rights as Americans, I often reference the Bill of Rights in the Constitution and think about “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” in the Declaration of Independence. Although this nation has not always been true in securing these rights equally and justly to all, the fact remains that these are the fundamental rights that all Americans should be guaranteed without question. The reality of these three inalienable rights, however, is predicated on a simple concept: a clean environment. A polluted environment damages our mental and physical health thereby hindering our ability to live freely and happily. Therefore, keeping it clean must be considered a fundamental right.
I believe that the best way to go about guaranteeing this central right is through the introduction of an Environmental Rights Amendment to the Maryland State Constitution. Doing so will enhance the defense of public and environmental health and justice. Protecting the environment is about more than just saving wildlife and wildlands (although that is important, too, of course). There is a direct connection between the health of the public and the sanctity of our environment that we must attend to.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are currently 21 active or proposed superfund sites in Maryland, which are polluted sites listed by the EPA as requiring a long-term response to clean up hazardous contamination. Though this list and its management is maintained at the federal level, the impacts of these sites and others not yet proposed, will be felt firsthand by the people of Maryland. Furthermore, the consequences of these sites are not shared equally across our society. In a 2020 EPA analysis, it was found that 26% of all Black Americans, 29% of all Hispanic Americans and 24% of all households in the U.S. below the poverty level live within three miles of a Superfund site.
One example in Maryland is Bear Creek near Baltimore, which the EPA is currently proposing as a superfund site and on which the historic African American community of Turner Station is located. It is for this reason that an environmental bill of rights being passed into law is so critical, as it will bolster the legal grounds of those who are affected by these sites in redressing their grievances and will give greater considerations in the future to ensure that forthcoming activities in this state do not ultimately end up as yet another superfund site.
I am inspired to be a part of the campaign to pass a constitutional amendment for environmental human rights, because I firmly believe that every Marylander should have the basic and inalienable right to live in a safe and healthy environment, which includes clean water, land, air and a stable climate. Securing this amendment will require the state to protect the rights of all Marylanders for generations to come, provide a legal rationale for passing environmental legislation that protects public and environmental health, and give better legal standing to those fighting back against polluters. This could mean the promotion of renewable energy, revitalizing and protecting the Chesapeake Bay and other wildlands, and ensuring that marginalized communities disproportionately targeted by unfettered environmental degradation will receive justice and security.
I am excited to work with the Sierra Club, the oldest and one of the most influential grassroots environmental organizations in the U.S., and in conjunction with the Maryland Campaign for Environmental Human Rights, a cause committed to guaranteeing a healthful environment to all Marylanders and the efforts of Delegate Wanika Fisher, who proposed this legislation in 2021 and is championing it in 2022.